Stardust Crusaders: The Eclipse of Fate
by Kapra90
Summary: Get ready to embark on a journey once again with your favorite gang from JJBA season three! Featuring all new characters, villains, and stands along with those already from the manga/anime, you could say it's the same story, but is it really? Rated T, but mature scenes may arise throughout. You won't want to miss a moment of the retelling of this epic tale.
1. The Shadow Crusader

**Good morning, readers! I am back with a brand new fanfiction! This time, I'm calling out to any Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fans out there! This will be taking place during the events of season three; for those of you familiar with the series, you will be happy to know there is a new OC that will be a major part of the story. In addition, there will be all new stand users that our group will be facing throughout their journey to Egypt in addition to those you are familiar with. Bear in mind- this series will follow the same plot line as the series, however, some things will play out a bit differently, graced over, or further elaborated on, depending on the situation. I am working on this story in collaboration with my good friend, his username is Revolver Jackal, and he actually got me into the series a few months ago. With all this said, I will end my rambling here and let you get to the story! Please feel free to express your thoughts in the comments (please no flames- leave that to Magician's Red) and as always, enjoy!**

* * *

Jotaro Kujo never expected in his life to be dragged on some wild goose chase to hunt down a man he had never even heard of while his mother's life hung in the balance. This was all revealed to him about one day prior to being transported, somewhat against his will, to an airport. What was worse was that his grandfather, who he thought was nothing short of a lame old fart upon meeting him for the first time, would be stuck with him for the entirety of the journey. Things had begun spiraling out of control when he discovered that the being constantly following him was a stand- a spiritual guardian of sorts that he could command. His life had changed along with him; his personality withdrawing, his emotions diminishing, separating himself from his family and loved ones as the bond between him and his stand ultimately grew stronger.

A plane. It was the first time he had ever been on a plane. He thought this was crazy, going after some guy in Egypt who apparently knew his great-great grandfather and that his destruction was the only way to save his mother. He had only learned about his own Stand before being thrown into a world apparently dominated by them.

Jotaro sighed as he sat in his seat on the plane. Despite having a cool, collected nature, he could not help but also sense the feeling of being watched as his grandfather had. It wasn't long after takeoff to head to China that their friend and ally, Avdol, sensed a stand user was present among them. Jotaro's eyes scanned the plane as the four gentlemen looked around- any one of those people could have been the assassin.

Just then, Jotaro's eyes rested on something- a second pair of smaller eyes staring back at him. A black cat sitting on the other side of the plane, a few rows up. Its owner was dressed in a dark cloak, unable to see their face as a gloved hand pet the raven-colored feline. Jotaro had already seen a cat like this several times starting back in his hometown, seeing it first just before his fight with Noriaki Kakyoin, a fellow high schooler. At first he thought it was just a coincidence, but this belief was slowly waning as the feline's jade green eyes stared at him. It seemed like a recipe for a villain, lightly elbowing Joseph sitting next to him.

"Old man. There's something suspicious about that man over there." Jotaro leaned over to whisper.

"Hm... that could be our stand user." The elder Joestar responded.

"Do you think they would make themselves that obvious? There's no doubt that person is trying to keep themselves concealed. It does not mean they are responsible for the appearance of the beetles flying around the plane." Muhammad Avdol, a friend of Joseph's from Egypt, turned around in his seat to speak to Jotaro.

"Only one way to find out." Jotaro replied, rising from his seat to make his way towards the mysterious individual. Before he could reach them however, the beetle attacked, Jotaro intercepting it when Star Platinum clamped his teeth down on the beetle's deadly pincers.

The others watched with bated breaths as they saw blood seeping from the corners of Jotaro's lips. As fast as Jotaro's stand was- so much so that it could catch a bullet at point blank range- the huge stag beetle was much faster. If he had been one millisecond too slow, Jotaro would've lost his tongue.

"It must be him!" Avdol exclaimed, knowing of this particular stand. "It's the one that depicts a stand suggesting destruction, calamity, and the end of a journey: Tower of Gray! It commits mass murders, making them look like accidents. The airplane crash that happened last year in England, causing three hundred deaths, is thought to have been its work. I had only heard rumors, but it seems he's working with Dio!"

In that moment, with a loud shout, the delinquent's powerful stand, Star Platinum, began throwing a flurry of punches at lighting speed towards the beetle stand, destroying the needle in the process. The stand managed to dodge every punch, however, demonstrating its superior agility. The beetle chuckled and began to mock them.

"Even if you were to have ten guns shoot at me from one centimeter away, they wouldn't even graze me! You couldn't even kill me with a gun, anyway." It said as it began frothing green translucent foam. Just then, it seemingly disappeared from their sights and reappeared behind a row of seats.

"Over there!" Kakyoin shouted as it dove between the passenger seats. Too late. In an instant, three of the passengers slumped forward with the backs of their heads and their mouths busted open as if they had all been shot by a rifle. The group looked on in horror as the Tower of Grey floated above, holding the severed tongues of the passengers.

"Bingo! Got their tongue, and my objective!" It cackled before smearing the flesh onto the wall, spelling the word 'Massacre!'

"I'll burn it to death! Magician's Red!" Avdol screamed in anger as he summoned his firebird stand.

"Wait a minute, Avdol!" Kakyoin interrupted, making him call back the stand.

Just then, one of the passengers, a balding old man, woke up, presumably unaware of the situation. "… So noisy... what's all the ruckus about?" He muttered as he rubbed his face, getting up from his seat as the stag beetle stand hovered overhead. "I guess I'll go to the bathroom." He walked over towards it, placing a hand on the wall where blood was dripping. Confused at first from the slimy feeling he then looked up at the wall, shocked at the sight he was met with. "I- Is that blood?!" He shrieked as he backed away from the wall and towards Kakyoin, who swiftly karate chopped the back of his neck, knocking the man out cold. Jotaro glanced over, noticing the cat from earlier staring blankly at the old man, as did its masked owner.

"We need to defeat this stand before the other passengers panic." Kakyoin said to Avdol. "An active stand like your Magician's Red could make the plane explode. And Jotaro, if your power were to put a hole in the fuselage, it'd be a catastrophe." He continued as he looked at the stand users. Kakyoin readied himself as he faced the beetle stand. "My quiet stand, Heirophant Green, is most suited to defeating it." He said.

The beetle chuckled at him. "Noriaki Kakyoin, eh? I've heard all about you from Lord Dio. Just stop. If you know your stand is quiet, there's no point in challenging me; you cannot catch me with your speed!" It spat back at him as Kakyoin maintained his composure.

"You think so?" He asked as his stand, Heirophant Green, appeared before him and formed pure green liquid from its hands, which shot out at the beetle in solidified shards. "Emerald Splash!" He exclaimed as the emeralds fired towards Tower of Grey in all directions. The beetle dodged and weaved in every direction effortlessly as it sped towards Kakyoin.

"You seem to think you can hit me if you fire enough shots, but you haven't hit me at all!" It taunted as if flew above Heirophant Green and shot its mouth needle to deal a damaging blow. Kakyoin grunted, blood spilling from his mouth as he fell to the ground. The beetle laughed in reaction. "My speed is an entirely different level from yours! You're way too slow to get a bingo." It said as it loomed over Kakyoin. Despite this, his Heirophant Green unleashed another Emerald Splash at the beetle, which it again, dodged completely. "Don't you get it?! Once this rips your tongue out, you'll go mad from the pain!" It cackled as it sped towards Kakyoin. He suddenly smirked.

"What? My Heirophant Green?" Suddenly, green strands sprung out if the surrounding seats and impaled Tower of Grey on all sides, trapping the disgusting creature like an insect in a spider's web. As it turned out, Heirophant Green's appendages slipped beneath the sheet of the airplane's floor, spreading itself out as its Emerald Splash distracted it to ensure that it was trapped. "If it rips you apart, it'll go mad, all right... mad from joy!" Kakyoin responded.

Just as the appendages were about to rip apart the beetle, everyone heard the meow of a cat... standing before Kakyoin was the hooded figure, still holding the black cat. Suddenly, the cat's shadow extended, a feline-like stand rising from the shadow in a flash. In the blink of an eye, Tower of Grey was sliced into pieces by its long, razor sharp claws. As the beetle was eviscerated, the knocked out old man woke up and wailed in agony as several deep cuts appeared on his body, cutting down to the bone as he writhed. His tongue split in two with the visage of a beetle appearing on both ends as he collapsed. The Tower of Grey was defeated, but before the mysterious stand user could even speak, Kakyoin's eyes narrowed, the tail of his stand wrapping around the individual to pin them against the wall.

"Tell us who you are and why you're here." Kakyoin said lowly.

"One of Dio's assassins, I'm sure." Avdol said.

"No amount of money or material goods could make me agree to work for that insufferable bastard!"

All four men's eyes widened at the masked individual's voice. None of them had expected that the person hiding underneath would be that of a woman's. Kakyoin's stand involuntarily loosened it's grip on her a bit, the woman shrugging out of the tail's hold and shoving it away.

"Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to introduce myself, being I did just save your lives." The woman had a noticeable British accent. She removed her mask and hood, revealing a pale but impeccable complexion, gorgeous but fierce and deep blue eyes, and a head full of golden colored hair. "My name is Anne Lennox. It seems only one of you noticed I've been sticking close by for some time." She glanced at Jotaro, who reacted by curling his lip a bit. "Yes, I have been following you ever since I sensed the return of the same creature you're after… Dio. I've known of the bitter connection between him and the Joestar family for quite some time. I followed you in the hopes of joining your cause, reasons I will explain upon landing in Egypt." She then glanced over as turbulence on the plane increased, walking over before any of the men could stop her from drawing the curtain leading to the cockpit. "However… unless one of you knows how to land a plane, that story will simply die with me as we will surely be doomed."

When they peeked past her to see what she was talking about, they noticed to their horror that both pilots had been violently murdered. Joseph panicked, rushing in to try and get control of the plane. As he did so, the old man that had been controlling the beetle chuckled weakly, still barely alive even after Anne had dealt with him.

"I am the one… who had the Tower of Grey stand…"

"Well, I would have never guessed." Anne raised a brow as the plane continued to shake.

"Even if you manage to survive now… there are many more assassins who have been ordered by Lord Dio to kill you…" The old man chuckled weakly. Anne narrowed her eyes before bashing his face in with her boot, ultimately silencing him.

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

 **Stand User: Anne Lennox**

 **Stand: Sekhmet**

 **Abilities:**

 **Dark Sandstorm: Draws energy from any light in the room to form a small, swirling twister of black sand around the opponent. Usually lasts 5-10 seconds in order to blind or distract.**

 **Lion's Claw: A rapid succession of claw attacks which deals heavy damage to opponents.**

 **Asp of Spite: Comes from the coiled snake bracelet on Sekhmet's left arm. Upon biting the opponent, it draws a small portion of energy to weaken them and strengthen Sekhmet and Anne. Cannot be used in quick succession or completely deplete the opponent of energy.**

 **Asp of Mercy: Comes from the coiled snake bracelet on Sekhmet's right arm. Upon biting the recipient, it provides life source in order to heal a party member's wound at the expense of Sekhmet's/Anne's energy depending upon the severity of the wound. It cannot resurrect a corpse.**

 **Stats:**

 **Power: B**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: A**

 **Potential: C**

* * *

Sometime later, Joseph managed to successfully land the plane near the city of Hong Kong in the eastern coast of China. The group departed the plane, eventually finding a restaurant to sit in. As they had traversed through the bustling city, Avdol couldn't help but notice that Joseph had been quite uncomfortable around Anne.

"Mr. Joestar, do you know anything about this woman? You seem tense around her. Do you think she could be working for Dio?" He asked.

"You will know when we sit down." The older man said. They managed to find a restaurant, and the five individuals were seated at a table. Before he could go over his plan with his friend and the two high schoolers, he needed to address Anne's presence and motives for involving herself with their affairs.

"Ms. Lennox." Joseph began. "Before I ask how you know of us and why you've been following us… tell me why you are wearing that mask."

"Ah, yes." She replied. "Do not fret, Mr. Joestar, I am well aware that all the stone masks were destroyed decades ago. This is merely an imitation of the actual thing. Each time I wear it, it is a reminder of what I have endured, and what I could become if I were to lose sight of my humanity."

"Humanity?" Avdol raised a brow.

"Yes. There is no doubt you all have questions. I intend to answer all of them. From you, I have nothing to hide."

"We'll see about that." Avdol said. "If you are working for Dio, you-"

"I already told you, nothing on this Earth could convince me to even consider doing his bidding. He is an inhuman monster who must be destroyed."

"Is… that why you wear the mask?" Joseph asked.

"No… it isn't." Just then, a waiter arrived, asking what they would like in Chinese. Joseph was about to point to random items on the menu when Anne spoke. "Wǒ zhǐ huì yǒu rè jīròu, báimǐ de yīmiàn, shǔ tiáo hé yīxiē báijiǔ. Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ." She said in perfect Chinese, the waiter blinking in surprise before nodding, taking her menu. Even Jotaro raised a slight brow of impression.

"Miss Lennox…" Kakyoin shook his head. "How do you-"

"Gentlemen… have you ever heard the phrase that people grow wiser with age? This is how my story began, and has remained with me for longer than any of you have existed. I have learned many tongues of this Earth, among other things, because I have walked this Earth for over a century."

Three of the men gasped. Jotaro simply scoffed.

"You're bluffing."

"Am I, Jotaro?" Anne asked. "Before I prove my words true, I am going to tell you all a story. By the end, you will know the reason I am here. It began in the year of 1888 in England. I was only twenty years old. I had already had several failed attempts at courting a potential husband because of my headstrong nature, so I was quite refreshed when my father had decided to suddenly move my family and I to the country. He had abruptly halted his employment as a servant within a boastful estate." She paused for a moment. "The Joestar estate."

Joseph's eyes widened. "You… you must have known-"

"Your great-grandfather, yes… I personally did not know him, but my father had spoken very highly of the estate's heir, Jonathan. Well, he knew of another potential heir to the estate, one who had no right to inherit. Dio Brando." She growled the name. "He eventually witnessed the horror of how Dio had used the stone mask in the Joestar's possession to gain immortality and fuel his lust for power. He managed to flee with his life, and when we had relocated… he revealed to me, his greatest confidante… the reason." Another pause. "It was several weeks later that the day which changed my life forever came." The memories of that night flooded her mind as if it had occurred one day past. "It was a calm, peaceful night. The calm before the storm. Like a flash of lightning he came. Soon, my family- mother, elder brother and his pregnant wife- cowered as Dio invaded our small home with his goons, threatening my father that he would end his life for what he knew. My father swore to tell no one… and my father was a man of his word. When I saw the look in Dio's eyes I knew he had no intention of leaving without bloodshed."

 _'Please, I have no intention of ruining you, I am just trying to live a simple life with my family!'_

 _'Tell me everything you saw or you will HAVE no family!'_

"I was no damsel, even then." Anne continued. "Despite my mother's whispered protests, I stepped out of the shadows."

 _'Dio Brando!'_ She stepped forward.

 _'No… Anne, go back!'_

 _'If you will spare my family, I will offer myself in my father's place if you are insistent that what vital information of yours he retains warrants that a life must be taken.'_

Dio smirked, chuckling. He shoved William against the wall like a rag doll, quietly begging for Anne to flee as Dio swayed forward. In that moment, she saw it; the stone mask, just inside the fold of his cloak. Her eyes had flickered for a moment before they resumed burning into his.

 _'Perhaps you should have been head of the household. Even now… so defiant against someone clearly her superior, in all meaning of the word.'_ Dio chuckled as he lifted her chin. _'It would be such a shame to bleed you dry… a pretty little thing, you are. A bit rough around the edges, though… I like that.'_

"I had him exactly where I wanted him. And in that moment, the best part was that he didn't have the slightest idea what I had planned." Anne said.

 _'Very well… William, you and the rest of your family will resume your… simple life. However… I will feast upon the sweet decadence of your daughter's blood until not even a single drop is spared!'_

 _'No, Anne!'_ William cried.

In a single moment, Anne had whipped out a pocket knife she had concealed, slicing a cut into Dios arm, her other arm shooting out for a moment before she reeled back. Dio blinked, looking down as the rather thin cut on his arm healed up quickly. He looked up at Anne, staring at her a moment before throwing his head back in laughter.

 _'Well… isn't this cute? You really are a fierce one. I'm almost feeling bad that I have to end your life. Tell me, Anne, what did you expect to accomplish from a small paper cut like that?'_

Anne smirked lightly. _'Well, I'm about to make you feel far worse… because this is what I intended to accomplish.'_

"Dio's expression changed completely when I took my one hand from behind my back to show him the stone mask. As his eyes widened and he groped his cloak to see I had indeed snatched it off his person, his blood on my pocket knife dripped upon it. Just enough… and when I placed it upon my face… it was too late for him to stop me." Anne continued.

 _'Anne, NO!'_ William shouted.

Dio growled as the stone mask changed Anne before his eyes, falling from her face as she spoke in an almost ravenous tone.

 _'Father, take the others and run!'_

Anne sighed lightly in the present. "Why did you do that?" Kakyoin asked.

"… I thought it would give me the only chance to fight against Dio and save my family. But I was wrong." She replied. "Dio sent his goons after me, and I fought them while my family fled. When I had finished them off, I moved as fast as I could to challenge Dio. I heard screaming in the distance- my family's. By the time I reached them, however…"

Dio laughed mockingly as Anne's eyes widened in terror at the sight of her slaughtered family, falling to her knees. His laughter only grew when she screamed for them.

 _'I won't kill you, Anne.'_ He said when his laughter finally died down. _'No… you will live with your failure. You could have died as you were ought to and they would have survived… but now they are all dead because of you.'_

 _'You would have never kept your end of the bargain, you heartless bastard!'_ Anne shrieked.

 _'Well, I guess we'll never know, will we?'_ Dio smirked, looking over at the slaughtered wife of Anne's brother. _'Just as that tiny, helpless fetus will never take its first breath. You are the monster, Anne… not me.'_

Anne was silent for several moments before continuing to speak. "He disappeared before I could challenge him again. I cried his name with pure rage into the night but it was never answered. I searched all over England, even after I heard of Jonathan's death… but I never found him. So, I traveled the world. Alone, with nothing but my grief, guilt and resentment to keep me company."

"That is indeed a tragic story… but you could be a very good storyteller." Avdol said.

"I had a feeling there may be some skepticism against me. If my story does not convince you… perhaps this will." Anne replied, lifting her hand to remove her glove before extending it to the window. To all of their shock, even Jotaro's, her skin began to burn, sizzling in the sunlight. She hissed lightly, quickly shoving her hand back into the glove before any more damage could be inflicted.

"Oh my God…" Joseph gasped. "You… truly are… a vampire!" He exclaimed.

"Now that I have proven myself true, I will say this. My father said many times in his life that he would remain loyal and true to the Joestar family until his dying breath, and as I said before, he was a man of his word. I have taken the same oath myself in his honor. I wish to join your company to hunt down and end Dio once and for all. Just know that whether or not you decide to allow me to join you, I will bear no ill will against the family of Joestar, and that I will continue to pursue Dio regardless."

Joseph sighed, motioning for Avdol to join him to the side as they rose to stand a couple feet away from the table.

"Mr. Joestar, I am not sure that we can trust her. Being she is a vampire like Dio is, she has great propensity to do us harm. We know nothing of her or her stand. What if she is a spy and is lying about her encounter with Dio?" Avdol asked.

"She seems far too adamant in destroying Dio like we are trying to do, Avdol. She even destroyed the Tower of Grey stand right in front of us." Joseph replied. "Besides, not only do we have an advantage in a greater number against her, but I also have plenty of experience with vampires."

Avdol tightened his lips a bit as he exhaled. "I still don't know about this. This whole situation concerning her is very unusual."

Joseph pursed his lip, the two returning to the table. "We have decided… to leave the decision to my grandson."

"Wh- What?! Mr. Joestar!" Avdol exclaimed.

"He's a smart young man and a good judge of character. Whatever he decides, I will abide by." Joseph said.

The delinquent sat back in his seat, glancing over at the hooded woman and back at his grandfather. "Good grief…" He sighed. "Fine, I say she stays. For now." He answered. "But if she starts any funny business, we kill her. Got it?"

Joseph nodded. "Very well." Avdol appeared to be less than pleased with this outcome as Kakyoin glanced over at Anne, who remained silent. "Now, onto business."

Joseph then proceeded to map out the remainder of their journey, being he felt that traveling by airplane at this point would prove impractical. Also, he explained that through the method of spirit photography, he was able to confirm the unfortunate connection between Dio and the Joestar bloodline when he saw that Dio had literally sewn his head onto Jonathan's body, the family birthmark showing clearly. He was still trying to adapt to it, but still posed a great threat to the group through his ruthlessness and his connections.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And the first chapter ends here! As you can already said from what I said in the beginning, with the introduction of Anne, some events have already played out slightly differently. So, is Anne truthful in wanting to destroy Dio, or is she a spy working for the power-hungry vampire? Keep checking for updates, Revolver Jackal and I will continue to work diligently on the story in the meantime. Thank you for reading, and I appreciate any support you give in advance. See you next time!**


	2. The Swordsman and the Captain

**Good afternoon, readers! I have returned to continue this epic journey! I hope you are all enjoying so far, and I promise it will get better as time goes on. As you will soon see, you're going to be introduced to what should be a very familiar and unforgettable character. As far as OC stand users go, it's going to be a little while until you see the first one, but it will certainly come in time. Until then, please enjoy as always and don't forget to leave a nice review, follow and favorite! Any support is appreciated in advance.**

* * *

When Joseph and Avdol mapped out a plan to travel mostly by boat for the remainder of their trek, Anne glanced up when she noticed someone approaching their table. The young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, had a very muscular build like Jotaro, and his hair was styled in a tall, neat mullet. His half heart earrings swayed a bit until he stopped at the table.

"Pardon moi... but I seem to be having trouble understanding the menu. Can someone help me to read it?" The man asked, speaking with a slight French accent. The men looked at each other for a moment while Anne was as still as a statue. Joseph was about to say something when Jotaro beat him to it.

"No. Get lost." He said without even looking up.

"Jotaro! There's no reason to be so rude to someone who's asking for a little help." Joseph scolded, causing Jotaro to sigh with a hint of frustration.

"Are there any Chinese dishes that pique your interest, mister...?" Surprisingly, despite the mask and hood, one could understand Anne quite clearly.

"Ah, forgive my manners... my name is Jean Pierre Polnareff. It's a pleasure to meet you all." The young man replied.

"Well Mr. Polnareff, please sit down with us and we'll definitely help you out with the menu." Joseph said.

"Ms. Lennox here speaks fluent Chinese... she should be able to assist easily." Kakyoin said, smiling a bit as he glanced in her direction. She didn't respond to his comment.

The waiter returned, taking everyone else's order and Joseph ordered a sizeable amount of food for the table. While they were waiting for the food to arrive, he and Kakyoin decided to engage in small talk with their new guests. Joseph, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable around Anne, decided to chat up the boisterous Frenchman in the meantime.

"Is this your first time in China, Mr. Polnareff?" Joseph asked. "What brings you here?"

"Oui! It already seems like quite an interesting country." He replied. "I heard it's a great place to discover new things... something I'm definitely craving right now. Speaking of which, I'm craving something super tasty. I hope they have something good here!"

"So... how did you know where to find me?" Jotaro suddenly asked Anne lowly, sipping on his drink. "I saw your cat back in my hometown several times before we went to the airport."

"Upon sensing Dio's return in a dream, I decided to look up records of the Joestar family. It was not you I was originally searching for, but that of your mother. Being you are still in high school and own no property, I did not originally see you in the records. However, I happened to be in your neighborhood when you were out and about. There's no denying by the scent of your blood that you are of the Joestar bloodline." Anne replied.

Joseph chuckled at a joke Polnareff had told him, the Frenchman looking over as Anne and Jotaro spoke quietly.

"So, mademoiselle, do you have a face under all that fancy wardrobe?" He asked from across the table.

They couldn't see of course, but she grimaced in response. "Of course I do. Such a silly question to ask."

"What would you like me to ask then? Perhaps if you like vacationing around China, I could take you to France... do a little exploring together, hm?"

"Already have been. Three times as a matter of fact." Anne replied, lifting her mask slightly to take a sip of her wine as Polnareff raised his brows a bit. Kakyoin glanced over, watching as she did this with a hint of curiosity.

"Ms. Lennox, do you draw?" Kakyoin asked.

"Not professionally, but yes." Anne responded.

"You'll have to show me some of your work. I always appreciate a fellow artist." Kakyoin smiled lightly.

"... -well, there is plenty of exercise to be had when you are constantly chasing beautiful women, am I right?" Polnareff laughed, Joseph chuckling.

Some clouds rolled over outside then, blocking out the sun a bit. Anne glanced over, carefully taking her mask off so she could sip on her wine a bit easier. Polnareff stopped in the middle of rambling on about his workout regimen to Joseph.

"Finally, the mysterious mademoiselle reveals herself! Hm... are you allergic to the sun or something?"

The group, except for Joseph, who rubbed the back of his neck nervously, stared at Polnareff flatly. Anne would be the first to break the awkward silence.

"Tell me... Mr. Polnareff. Do you have one tone of volume or have I yet to experience you speaking a bit quieter?"

The Frenchman laughed. "Well, I had no idea that everyone allergic to the sun was so uptight, too!"

"... and you would know this, how?" She asked. The table quieted a bit, Jotaro lifting his head and looking between the two before narrowing his eyes. Before he could say anything, the waiter arrived with their meals.

Anne glanced over as Jotaro sighed with a hint of annoyance attempting to eat in peace. "Do you find it difficult to socialize in the present company, Jotaro? I cannot imagine why."

Surprisingly, Jotaro smirked lightly at the sarcasm in her voice. "Must be nice not having to deal with everyone's annoying habits."

"Sometimes I feel I'd prefer it over the silence. Even that can become deafening after enough time." She replied.

They all began to eat, Anne, Jotaro and Avdol remaining somewhat silent.

"It's a good thing we don't use these in France..." Polnareff said to himself, having a bit of trouble with his chopsticks.

"Oh, for heaven's sake..." Anne rose, leaving a cool patch of air in her wake as she walked over to him. "Here. You hold it in your fingers like this." She rearranged the chopsticks in his hand before sitting back down quicker than he could get a grasp on what was happening. He gave it a try, blinking as he found he was able to use them easier.

"Well, Ms. Lennox... it seems you're quite cultured." Polnareff said.

"That tends to happen when you have traveled all over the world." She replied, placing her chopsticks down when she finished her meal. As everyone was finishing up, Polnareff used his chopsticks to pick up one of the carrot pieces shaped like a star.

"It's shaped like a star… you know… I think I've seen this somewhere before…" Polnareff said, turning the carrot piece in his chopsticks.

"Really? I would have never guessed." Anne rolled her eyes.

"Ah, that's right… I met someone with a birthmark shaped just like this not too long ago…" His expression changed as he chuckled to himself.

Everyone stiffened then. "Bastard, you're an assassin-!" Kakyoin shouted, cut off when a stand appeared near Polnareff, thrusting its sword at Joseph only for him to block it with his prosthetic hand.

"Mr. Joestar!" Avdol shouted, using his Magician's Red stand to defend him. As the two engaged each other briefly, Anne went to help Joseph up.

"I- I'm fine. Thank you." He said, still not completely trustful of Anne as she glanced back, glaring at the scene. Polnareff had used Avdol's flame to make a clock out of one of the turned over tables.

"My stand represents the Chariot card, and its name is Silver Chariot! See that clock of fire I created out of that table? Before the hand reaches twelve, I WILL defeat you!" Polnareff shouted.

"Not if I have anything to do with it, you pompous bastard-" Anne was about to storm forward, Kakyoin reaching a hand out to hold her back.

"Don't worry, Mr. Avdol seems pretty capable of holding his own." He whispered to her as the other two men bantered back and forth.

"Let's go outside, I'll finish you all one by one starting with you!" Polnareff shouted, pointing at Avdol.

In the Tiger Balm Gardens, Anne stood with Kakyoin, Jotaro and Joseph out of harm's way so Avdol could have full control and range of his stand.

"That bloody scoundrel… I ought to chop him to bits." Anne growled from under her mask.

The two men began to duel once more, Polnareff mocking the Egyptian by using Silver Chariot to carve a statue of Magician's Red. Polnareff continued to cut through and deflect the flames being dealt at him, even when Avdol cast his special attack, cross fire hurricane. When it seemed that Avdol had burned himself, he tricked the Frenchman by luring him with, ironically, the statue that had been carved by none other than himself. He conjured another attack, and it seemed that Polnareff had been defeated.

"He should recover in a few months." Joseph said.

"Preferably not at all." Anne said.

"Well should be on our way, Mr. Joestar." Avdol suggested.

Just then, they all gasped as they saw Polnareff floating upside down, clapping and exclaiming "Bravo!"

"What?! Impossible!" Avdol cried. "How could this be?!"

"Hehe! Look closely!" Polnareff responded. "See? My stand without armor! Voila!" He struck a pose. "To show my good sportsmanship, I will explain this critical move rather than ambush you… that would be dishonorable."

"His entire demeanor and manner of styling his hair is dishonorable." Anne growled, making Kakyoin snicker. Joseph shot them a look, but even Jotaro smirked slightly at that.

After Polnareff explained his next move, the men continued their duel, Silver Chariot moved so fast that it seemed there were duplicates of him, injuring Avdol in the process. Avdol explained his attack then before launching it, and this time, he was able to overcome him through some strategic planning. Polnareff lay on the ground, groaning as flames licked his skin.

"Very impressive, Mr. Avdol. Shall we head off?" Anne asked, turning to walk away.

Avdol did not answer her, looking back at Polnareff. "Burning to death must be excruciating. End yourself quickly with this knife. It is the least I can do." He said, flicking it so it stuck into the ground within the Frenchman's reach. He took the knife, pointing it at his neck.

"He wouldn't know an honorable death if it slapped him across his face." Anne said lowly as she continued walking forward, not looking back.

Suddenly, Polnareff dropped the knife. "Committing suicide… no, it isn't honorable. I'll die like this… as a recognition of your strength, Avdol." He said, groaning in pain.

"Even as you die, you are chivalrous." Avdol said then, snapping his fingers. "You didn't even attempt to throw the knife at me with my back turned. You are a man much greater than Dio. It would be a waste to kill you." He bent down, gasping then. "Jotaro!"

The young man grimaced when he spotted the fleshbud. "On it."

"This is what was behind his actions." Avdol said as Kakyoin and Joseph grimaced at the sight in the background, outwardly disgusted.

"What in the bloody hell is that?" Anne asked.

"A method of Dio's to control his assassins made by his own cells." Kakyoin asked. "He had done the same to me, and I almost killed Jotaro because of it back in Japan."

"What a vile creature… just like its maker." Anne remarked as Jotaro destroyed it.

"Well, looks like we don't have to worry about him anymore! Come now, we must be on our way!" Joseph said as he helped Polnareff to his feet.

"Don't tell me to presume he is coming with us?" Anne asked, sighing when she did not receive the desired answer.

Not far away was a port, the group approaching the docks to where a large boat was. Joseph spoke about it a bit before Polnareff spoke.

"Mr. Joestar, may I ask you an… unusual question?"

"What is it?" Joseph responded.

"Maybe I'm the only one who's noticed, but you always wear your glove, even when eating. Is your left hand actually a right hand?" Polnareff asked.

"That is an unusual question… what do you mean by that?" Joseph scratched his head.

"We don't have time for nonsensical conversations." Anne said, brushing past them to make her way towards the boat, frustrated.

"I am trying to find the man who murdered my younger sister." Polnareff said. At this, Anne's footsteps slowed to a stop. "I don't know anything about his appearance except that he has two right hands."

Everyone was silent for a moment, Anne remaining as she was. Joseph took off the glove, revealing the prosthetic. "I lost it fifty years ago during a battle."

"Oh… I see. Pardon my rudeness." Polnareff replied. "It… happened three years ago. My sister… she was walking home with a friend one rainy day… and a man… stood with his back to them. What was stranger was, that despite the downpour, he was completely dry. The rain ran straight off of him, as if he had some sort of protective barrier. Out of nowhere, my sister's friend had her chest cut open, thin… like a razor. With her out of the way, the man sought out his goal; to rape and then kill my sister." Anne had turned halfway, looking through the sides of her eyes under the mask at Polnareff. She could hear the seriousness in his voice now. "Her friend barely survived. She never saw the man's face, but was certain he possessed two right hands. I was the only one who believed her. On that day I swore I would find him and avenge my sister. Only when he is dead can her spirit finally find peace. I will use my stand to give him the fate he deserves!"

"… I'm sorry." Anne said quietly at this.

"That is what led me to Dio a year ago. He showed me many things and sensed the pain in my heart. He promised to take it from me and help me to find that man. He sent me here to kill you." Polnareff added. "So now, I will accompany you to Egypt. I am almost certain we will encounter him along the way!"

Anne was about to say something when a pair of girls approached Jotaro, asking him to take their picture. When he yelled at them to stop bothering him, Polnareff, now all smiles, jumped in to help them.

"He seems like a whole different person now…" Kakyoin blinked. "Changes moods very quickly." He looked up, noticing Anne was making her way onto the boat.

"Seems like she's got the right idea… good grief…" Jotaro sighed, heading after her. Avdol eventually dragged Polnareff in the middle of a brag, and the group eventually boarded the boat before it set off.

"This trip should last us three days, so rest up." Joseph said to the group.

"Gladly." Anne said, about to head inside.

Polnareff glanced over, looking at Kakyoin. "Hey, um… that is a… un dame, am I right?"

"Yes, she is female." He rolled his eyes. "Though, I would try to avoid provoking her."

Halfway through his second sentence, Polnareff had already gotten up, heading over to her. "Oh, um… what was your name again?"

"… Anne. Anne Lennox."

"Right… well Anne, um… if you need any assistance, please let me know. I would hate to see a young lady struggling on her own."

Anne turned so she was facing him. "And what, pray tell, do you think you can assist me with, Mr. Polnareff?"

"Oh, you can call me Jean, madamoiselle…" He chuckled. "Well, this door looks rather heavy…" He reached over to open it, trying to turn the wheel shaped handle. "See? Giving a bit resistance here…"

Anne sighed, swatting his hands away to turn it the other way, opening the door easily. "Perhaps start with learning how to open a door first before offering to assist someone with it." She said, striding inside and leaving the Frenchman quite dumbfounded.

Just then, Polnareff finally noticed the commotion going on further down the deck, the captain having found a stowaway and had lost control of the boy. The boy, not wanting to be turned into the police, dove over the side and into the water. As he swam, he turned around and saw the fin of the shark suddenly approaching, screaming as he feared for his life. Instead, the shark flew up from the water, thrashing as it hung in the air before falling back into the water with severe injuries thanks to Star Platinum's intervention. Jotaro appeared behind the boy a moment later, clearly irritated.

"Gimme a break... annoying kid." He muttered as he grabbed the kid by the collar. Suddenly, Jotaro noticed something. He stopped, pressing his hand against the boy's chest, raising a brow. With the swift removal of the kid's hat, the stowaway was revealed to be a young girl.

As she objected to the sudden breast check, Jotaro rolled his eyes before catching the shark from earlier cut clean in half by something far more dangerous out of the corner of his eyes. Jotaro wasted no time swimming back to the ship as fast as he could as this creature approached. The others threw a lifesaver to the edge for them as they also saw the creature fast approaching. The sea creature swam faster and faster, closing the gap between it and its prey.

"He's not going to make it!" Joseph exclaimed as the beast prepared to strike, but just before it could, Kakyoin summoned Heirophant Green and carried both Jotaro and the girl back on board.

They had seen the newest stand, now they had to find the user. At first, the group suspected the stowaway girl until she threatened them with a small switchblade and boasted that she's ready to cut her 340th victim. As Jotaro was having a quick cigarette break, the captain of the ship, Captain Tennile, arrived to take the girl to the cellar, only to quickly snatch away the lit cigarette from the delinquent as he gave him a stone cold stare.

"Please refrain from smoking on the deck. What were you planning to do with the ashes and the butt? Toss it into the beautiful ocean? You are a guest on my ship and you will follow my rules... young man." He said to Jotaro, pressing the lit end against the metal badge on Jotaro's hat before sticking the extinguished cigarette in his coat and walking off. Joseph commented on his rudeness, Jotaro adding that he had pinned the captain as the stand user. The whole group was at a shock from his accusation, but the captain just stood there, confused as he blinked at them. "Stand...? What on earth are you talking about?" He asked.

"That's impossible! Captain Tennille was introduced to us by the Speedwagon Foundation. His background completely checked out!" Joseph replied, shocked by the accusation.

"Do you have any evidence?" Kakyoin asked.

"Simple. I saw that when stand users inhale smoke from a cigarette, the blood vessels from their nose will show through their skin." He replied, touching the bridge of his nose. At that moment, the whole group instinctively touched the bridge of their noses.

"Y- You're kidding, right?" Polnareff asked.

"Yeah... it was a bluff." Jotaro replied. "But... it seems we've found our idiot." He finished when looking to the captain, who also touched his nose. He had been weeded out; this Captain Tennille was a fake.

Suddenly, the sea monster from earlier rose up from the water and grabbed the stowaway girl, holding her hostage. The monster was humanoid in shape, but with deep blue scales and fins, webbed claws and feet with claws, a large mouth with sharp teeth lining it, and a pair of large eyes on both sides of its head. This beast represented troublesome waters, lies and betrayal. It represented the fear of the unknown. This stand suggested the card of the moon; Dark Blue Moon.

"I planned on taking you all out one by one, but it seems I have no choice but to fight head on. I'll be taking her down to the ocean with me. You have no choice but to jump in after me to save her." The fake captain said as he walked closer to the edge of the boat, looking at Jotaro. "I hear that your Star Platinum is incredibly fast... well, my stand's speed in the water is unmatched. Why don't we see who's the faster one?" He taunted as he suddenly leapt from the boat. "Come! Follow me! If you wish for a swift, watery death!" He shouted, only to be met with punch after punch from Star Platinum as he fell, forcing him to let go of the girl and allow Star Platinum to grab her as he sank into the ocean.

"The only one getting a swift watery death is you." Jotaro said to the fake captain. "Avdol, why don't you say something?" He said as he turned to the Egyptian.

"You tried to out-predict me, a fortune teller..." Avdol said.

"... but it's ten years too early for you." Polnareff finished with a chuckle. They then noticed Anne standing just behind them, not having heard her come back onto the deck.

"Oh my God!" Joseph exclaimed. "Where did you come from?!"

"I would tell you but it would take quite a while." Anne said. "What is all the ruckus out here? Here I am trying to rest- as instructed, no less- and I can't even hear myself think!"

"It seems we've run into another stand user. Don't worry, Jotaro is taking care of him." Kakyoin said to her.

Meanwhile, Star Platinum was covered in barnacles, which drained him of power. Jotaro fell into the ocean with the fake captain as Kakyoin snatched up the stowaway girl. Soon, the group saw a whirlpool starting to form where Jotaro had landed, seeing that it was of Dark Blue Moon's creation. When Kakyoin tried to get Heirophant Green to come in and save the delinquent, he was met with razor sharp scales lining the whirlpool. If any of them were to jump in, they would be eviscerated. Things were looking dire, more so when they saw Jotaro floating limply in the whirlpool before sinking back down. Joseph held his breath, holding out hope for his grandson. Just then, with just enough energy focused in Star Platinum's fingers, Jotaro was able to stab Dark Blue Moon and leave a giant gash in its head, the captain choking out a cry as he slowly sank to the bottom, no longer a threat to the group.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Well, looks like our friends barely managed to dodge a bullet. While the group continues to try to evade Dio's assassins, will Anne have an opportunity to show off her own stand's abilities? More to come soon, so keep an eye out for updates and thank you again for reading!**


	3. The Primate and the Puppet

**Good evening, readers! Thank you so much for your support and feedback so far. I know last chapter sort of teetered off a bit as far as spontaneity went, but things are going to get a little more interesting from here on in and even divert from the anime a little at some points. Though Anne is an obvious catalyst for this, many diversions that result in some of the other protagonists saying and doing different things I feel would be true to their character from our interpretation. So with that in mind, please enjoy this update!**

* * *

The group's celebrations were cut short when explosives began to detonate on the ship, Anne wasting no time. She noticed the stowaway girl, shoving her towards the lifeboat first.

"Everyone get on, quickly! We can't be far from land!" She shouted.

Once everyone had boarded safely, the stowaway girl glanced at Joseph warily, slowly taking a canteen of water from him.

"I don't get it… who are you guys anyway?" The girl asked.

"We're travelers, just like you are." Joseph replied.

"And where did you come from, dear?" Anne asked. The stowaway girl blinked in surprise, not having expecting the masked individual to speak to her, let alone be a female. It seemed to be quite a frequent misconception.

"Nowhere..." She said, glancing to the side.

"Well, you may join us until we can find a place for you to stay." Anne replied.

"Why do you have that mask on?" She asked.

"Oh, she's allergic to the sun." Polnareff answered for her. Jotaro rolled his eyes as Kakyoin shook his head.

"Good grief..."

"Hey, look!" The girl suddenly cried as a giant ship approached.

"Well, aren't we lucky?" Anne said. "Quite a sizeable ship to add."

They noticed a stairway access lowered, but there didn't seem to be anyone controlling it. Jotaro glanced at it with an air of suspicion, not completely trusting this. Nevertheless, they boarded, and once on deck, they further confirmed that the ship seemed to have no one about. Joseph called out as everyone looked around.

"Maybe they're all taking a dump?" Polnareff thought aloud.

"How crass." Anne rolled her eyes, not that anyone could see it. "Jotaro." She approached the young man. "Do you think this is all a sham?"

"No idea. Guess we'll find out." He said.

"Hey, look at this!" The stowaway girl suddenly shouted from inside the ship. It was certainly far greater in size than the one they had left. As the others approached, she exclaimed. "It's a monkey!"

"It's an Orangutan." Kakyoin said.

"How barbaric, keeping a wild animal in a cage like this…" Anne shook her head.

"If this is here, someone must be feeding it." Joseph said.

"Well then, if you wish to continue your search hunt, I'm going to freshen up if you all don't mind." Anne said, walking down the corridor in search for a room. She sighed, taking off her mask and hood once inside. She pursed her lip, stopping when she peeked into a doorway and found showers inside.

Anne sighed contently as the water ran. It wasn't luxurious, but a nice hot shower was just what she needed in that moment. After the water adjusted to the proper temperature, she stepped in, lathering up her hair and rinsing it before washing, the soap giving off a soft, perfumed scent. As she washed, she sung- rather well for someone in the shower.

" _Moon river, wider than a mile_

 _I'm crossing you in style some day_

 _Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker_

 _Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way..._ "

As she sang, a large figure approached on the other side of the thin shower curtain, casting a rather large shadow that Anne had not noticed. A hand extended, moving the curtain ever so slightly as an amber colored eye peeked inside.

" _Two drifters, off to see the world_

 _There's such a lot of world to see_

 _We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend_

 _My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me..._ "

The fiend was about to lean in further to look when Polnareff was heard whistling down the hallway, having been asked by Joseph to look around for any passengers. It disappeared in a flash despite its large size just as Polnareff passed by the door to the ladies' showers, but Anne could feel movement in the air as the curtain swayed a bit. She stopped singing, having just rinsed off, turning off the water. She grabbed her towel, peeking out of the shower curtain to see no one. She had taken half a step out however, stopping in the middle of grabbing her bathrobe when she spotted something on the floor.

A cigarette butt.

Anne blinked for a moment before her face contorted into a scowl, clenching her teeth angrily. She quickly threw on her robe and shoes before storming out of the showers, seeing red when she spotted Polnareff whistling innocently as he headed in the opposite direction. She stormed up to him, whirling him around and taking him completely off guard.

"Do you smoke?" She asked tensely.

"Do I smoke? Well, on occasion, but not really-"

She shot her hand out, holding the cigarette butt up to him. "Do you know what this is?"

"Uh... a cigarette?"

"Do you have any idea why this was left outside MY shower stall no less than a minute ago?!"

"Wait, outside- I don't know what you're-"

"Oh don't play stupid with me, you ridiculous, self-centered, entitled pervert!" She shouted, throwing the cigarette butt at his chest as he held his hands up defensively.

"What's the matter with you?! I didn't do anything!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"You womanizing cur! If you come within a three meter radius of me I'll gouge your bloody eyes out!" She shouted, going to a room to change before storming back up to the deck. As she did, Joseph, Jotaro and Kakyoin were bearing witness to one of their crew members being stabbed with a ship's hook, that once again, no one seemed to be controlling.

"I don't understand what is wrong with this ship…" Kakyoin frowned.

"The girl should be taken inside. We should depart as soon as we find the next port." Anne said. Polnareff was about to volunteer when Anne stopped him. "NOT you. I will escort her." She said, the two ladies heading in.

"What's wrong with her?" Kakyoin asked.

"I have no idea, she was yelling because she found a cigarette butt in the bathroom or something!"

"She's not the type of woman who should be provoked. I warned you about that already." He said before following them inside. He saw Anne go into a room, knocking on the door. She opened it, and he was surprised to see her without her mask, her golden hair hanging neatly off one shoulder. "At least someone is gentlemanly enough to knock upon a lady's room."

"Anne, what happened?"

"Mr. Polnareff is a scoundrel and he is not to come near me again. Honorable, chivalrous, ha!" She huffed.

"I don't think he would do such a thing." Kakyoin replied.

"He was the only one in sight when I looked about barely a moment after I suspected a presence. His stand may be swift, but he not so much. So who else am I to conclude to be the sniveling pervert?" Anne asked. Before it could be answered, however, they both heard a scream from down the corridor. They looked at each other a moment before they quickly headed down towards the showers. Anne widened her eyes at the sight, the stowaway girl cowering from the no longer caged Orangutan. "Girl, hurry over to me, don't set the creature off!"

At the sound of her voice, the Orangutan turned, its eyes widening upon seeing Anne. Taken off guard, Anne found herself pinned against the wall, the giant creature inhaling her perfume. Kakyoin was about to come to her aid when something suddenly bludgeoned it; the lock on the cage. When the creature fell, Jotaro stood, curling his lip.

"This is no ordinary ape. There's only one explanation… we've seen no other living thing on this ship. This is the stand user." He said.

"Bloody hell…" Anne muttered as she threw one of her spare robes around the girl's shoulders. "Can we not get away for even a moment?"

"He's not gonna stay down for long." Jotaro said.

"Noriaki. You should inform the others on the deck." Anne suggested. Kakyoin nodded, heading down the corridor quickly, leaving the two adults in there. "Looks like I found the peeping culprit… I'll have to make amends to Jean later."

Just then, a ceiling fan flew off the ceiling, lodging itself into Jotaro's shoulder. He hissed, clenching his teeth. "Where in the hell is this bastard's stand?"

The ceiling fan dislodged from his shoulder, ricocheting about the room as nearby glass began to shatter outwards. "Jotaro… from the moment we boarded this ship…" She said as the entire vessel began to tremble. "… equipment has been fully operating without a single person on board."

Jotaro summoned Star Platinum, punching at the giant ape. As it did, the ape backed itself into the wall… only to seem to melt into it, causing Jotaro to narrow his eyes.

"I think I'm getting what you're saying." He finally replied.

Just then, everyone on the deck and Jotaro became restrained as the ship began to rear its ugly head against the group. The ape chuckled as he reappeared, holding out a dictionary opened to a specific page. It showed the page with the word strength, that which represented his stand with the same name in the tarot major arcana. The stowaway girl cowered in fear when the ape turned to look at her, still trying to wrap herself in Anne's robe. Jotaro grunted, trying to free himself and Star Platinum from the wall.

"Oh no you don't, you detestable brute!" She shouted, purposefully having been allowed freedom of movement. It was a big mistake on the Orangutan's part, too late to stop it as her shadow extended, Jotaro looking around as all the light seemed to be sucked out of the room. He noticed wind beginning to pick up, Anne staring fiercely as a feline-like stand appeared, dressed in minimal warrior clothing. It held a tall stance as black sand appeared from it, forming the shape of a snake as it darted through the air. It began to swirl madly around the Orangutan, obstructing its vision. "Lion's Claw." She spoke lowly, and the two legged feline stand charged forward, her fierce feminine form erupting into that of a savage huntress as she began to claw the creature at incredible speed. The ape cried out in pain, falling back as its stand began to weaken. Once Jotaro was able to free himself, he grimaced.

"Animals show their bellies as a sign of submission. After all the damage you caused, you want me to let you go? Like hell I will! Ora Ora Ora!" Jotaro cried as Star Platinum finished the ape off. Once it was done for, the entire vessel began to tremble more violently than before.

"The ship is falling apart!" The girl shouted.

"Come on, back to the lifeboats." Jotaro said, the three joining the others as they found themselves back to square one. As Anne seated herself, she cleared her throat.

"Mr. Polnareff… I believe I owe you an apology for wrongfully accusing you. It seems you weren't the suspected pervert after all." Anne said.

"Well finally you say something that makes any sense! That sun allergy must affect your sense of thought too!" Polnareff exclaimed, making the others shake their heads. "So… anyone want any gum?"

"We have at least a day before we reach Singapore at this rate." Anne said as it began to grow dark. She took off her mask and cloak, letting down her hair. "I can get behind the boat and speed things up until sunrise."

Throughout the night, Anne kept to her word, amazing the group as she seemed to swim at quick speeds without even taking a rest. By the time dawn arrived, the group was able to see the shoreline of Singapore, Anne having cut down their predicted travel time nearly in half over the course of the night. They managed to reach shore before noon, climbing onto the docks and collecting themselves before making their way into the city nearby to find somewhere to stay and recover from their series of battles. As they were going along their way, an officer shouted at them when Polnareff placed down a bag.

"Hey, no polluting! That's a 500$ fine!" The officer shouted.

"You just don't know how to stay out of trouble, do you?" Anne sighed.

"Hm… what garbage? All I see is my luggage there on the ground." Polnareff said, grabbing the officer's shirt. "Tell me, where is this garbage you're speaking of, hm?"

"That's your luggage? Oh, I'm very sorry, sir!"

As the officer hurried away, the stowaway girl laughed at the scene. "Huh, that kid is still following us? Isn't your father around here or something? Go find him!"

"Mr. Polnareff, may I remind you that she is a child." Anne said sternly.

"Until I meet up with him, I go where I want to go." The girl said.

"It's going to be dangerous for her if she keeps following us." Kakyoin said.

"She seems poor. We can pay for her to have a room for now." Joseph said. "Just tell her in a way that won't hurt her pride."

"Fine… hey kid! Being you're poor and we feel sorry for you, you can stay with us for now." Polnareff said.

"You are the most insensitive bastard." Anne said, storming toward the hotel. Once their rooms were paid for, he threw his hands up.

"What is with this dame? Do you do anything else other than say big fancy words and call me names?" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Perhaps I wouldn't be so inclined to insult you if you had even but a shred of common sense and decency! But no, you continue to act like a ridiculous buffoon with not even the smallest awareness of what's around you!" Anne replied, going to her room.

"Good grief… are we really going to have to put up with this?" Jotaro asked.

"Polnareff may be aloof at times but he's at least genuine and trustworthy. If anyone is to be eliminated from our party, it should be Ms. Lennox." Avdol said.

"If she wasn't so good looking, I would have done it myself already." Polnareff said, crossing his arms. "All she's done is try to defame me!"

"All right, that's enough." Kakyoin finally spoke up. "We've had a rough couple days, let's just relax for a bit and clear our heads."

Everyone went to their own rooms, hoping the tension would dissipate after enough time. Avoiding going near any open windows, Anne wandered about the halls a bit after she rested a while. She was wearing a simple, cream colored off shoulder dress, cotton with lace-like patterning. As she did so, she heard a door open, glancing back to see Avdol.

"Looking for something, Ms. Lennox?" He asked.

"Nothing in particular at the moment." She replied, noticing the air of suspicion in his features. "Simply trying to stretch out my muscles, Mr. Avdol, I've no intention of performing any sinister acts if that is what you're thinking. You should take care to carry out Noriaki's advice and rest a while." She replied before turning, continuing down the hall. Avdol remained where he was for a moment before retreating into his room.

As Anne sighed, hugging her arms a bit, she stopped when she noticed Kakyoin's door slightly ajar. Her expression changed when she glanced through the gap in the door curiously, hearing quiet music from a record player and noticing that he was scribbling something onto a sketch pad. Upon closer inspection, she saw that he was sketching a person. She slipped through the door silently, like a gentle breeze, craning her head before smirking.

He was sketching her.

When Kakyoin finally noticed her shadow looming over him, he jumped a bit, his pencil clattering onto the floor. Anne reached down to pick it up, the high schooler watching her as she handed it back to him.

"Ms. Lennox, I… I didn't hear you come in-"

"So, it's true then." She smirked lightly. "You are a decent artist after all." She said. She sat beside him, taking the sketch pad and pencil as she observed his work. "Yes, you do have a lovely talent. You just need to take note of your form a bit more." She said as her hand began to move, making the pencil dance along the paper. "Where the lines are harsh… make your hand harsh. Where they are soft… soften your hand. Feel the form through your hand… it is what connects the world you experience to the output that is your art." She said as the young man watched with fascinated curiosity as she drew a perfect image of him without even a flicker of her eyes to his face. She put the last finishing touches, finally meeting his gaze as she placed the items down.

"Ms. Lennox… I-"

"Anne." She smiled. "I don't think there's any further need for formalities." She was about to add something when she heard a thud from down the hall, glancing in the direction of the sound.

"What is it?" Kakyoin asked.

"I heard something. Stay here." She replied, rising to swiftly leave the room. As she did, Kakyoin noticed that her feet had made barely a sound, almost as if she were able to float. She made her way down the hallway, stopping just outside Polnareff's room. She was about to knock when she hesitated, listening in. As she did so, someone from hotel service approached.

"Oh, um-" The man cleared his throat. "I, uh… Mr. Polnareff requested these, er- medical supplies-"

"I'll take it." She said, the man frozen once she took them from him. "You may go."

"O- Oh! Yes, er, have a wonderful day, um…" He stuttered as he hurried down the hall.

Anne placed the box aside, going to open the door to find it locked. "Excuse me, sir? I need one more moment of your time."

Inside, Polnareff cried out in agony, trapped under the bed as a new stand he had unfortunately ran into, Ebony Devil, sliced the back of his right leg. As he was about to bite Silver Chariot's shoulder, the door flew open, Anne standing there with the shocked hotel attendant. He jumped when she held out her hand without even looking at him, giving him back the spare room key. She told him to leave, the small man doing so with a fright as she stepped inside the room, gaining the attention of the demented doll.

"Ooo, look at the pretty lady! Aren't you a lucky devil, Polnareff!" The doll shouted.

"I won't be able to say the same for you." Anne said, summoning Sekhmet. "Black Sandstorm!" She shouted, the lights in the room and just out in the hallway flickering as shadow sand formed into the shape of a large, floating snake, engulfing the doll in the sand. "Asp of Spite!" Anne shouted, and suddenly, the snake bracelet from Sekhmet's left arm began to uncoil. Her arm extended, the creature darting through the air, entering the small sandstorm, sinking its teeth into the doll. A bite mark appeared on the spot of Sekhmet's arm where the bracelet had been, beginning to glow. A small amount of light came through the closed curtain, Anne hissing when it made contact with her skin, having to take a step back. Devo managed to notice this, Ebony Devil grinning. As this was happening, Polnareff managed to cut the cords that had been restraining him, pulling himself out from under the bed. Anne withdrew her attack, narrowing her eyes as she saw that Ebony Devil was greatly damaged.

"You're going to pay… for that!" He shouted. "I was going to electrocute that big moron… but now… I'll just watch you burn instead!" The doll shouted.

Before anyone could stop him, he hopped up, pulling down the curtains covering the window. Sunlight poured into the room, and Anne screamed as her skin began to burn. The doll laughed as she was forced to crawl into the hallway, her breathing ragged as she had no choice but to take time to allow herself to heal. The doll failed to notice that Polnareff had freed himself, Silver Chariot pointing his sword at him.

"H-how...? How could you possibly-" The doll stammered, cornered by the French swordsman.

Polnareff chuckled, pointing behind him to the broken mirror. "Thanks to Anne, you weren't the only one who made a mess. I was able to see where you where hiding once she shattered the mirror, and now we are face to face." He answered. The doll tried to flee the room, but Silver Chariot was much faster than its stumpy legs, cleaving them off from the knees down. "Hey, Devo... let me ask you... I'm looking for a man with two right hands. Tell me how his stand works." Polnareff demanded.

"A- Are you stupid?! Stand users never just reveal their abilities! If they do, either they or their target has to die. Your group's weaknesses are all known to us! You got lucky... if it weren't for that pale bitch, you would be dead!" Ebony Devil spat.

Polnareff grimaced at his stubbornness. "Fine! Try and attack me one more time then!" He challenged the doll, revealing his stand once more as the doll slowly crawled away from him. He was exposed and defenseless, having no chance at this point to defend himself. "What's the matter? Didn't you say you were going to bite my dick off? Why don't you try it now, you little bastard?!" Polnareff taunted, looming over his enemy. In an instant, silver chariot attacked the doll stand, ripping it apart with its sharp rapier, killing it and its user, Devo the Cursed.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And there we have it folks, another two stands down! With Anne being burned by the sun, will Polnareff finally manage to understand that she has more than just a sun allergy? Will her presence continue to cause tension among the group? More answers to come, so stay tuned for the next update and please leave your thoughts in a review! Bon voyage!**


	4. The Trouble with Doubles

**Good afternoon, readers! The last time we left off, Anne helped Polnareff out of a jam- but at what cost? Not sure what I mean? You will soon find out in this latest update! By the way, here is some more exciting news- in this chapter, you will see the first OC stand user battle of this story! Who is it and how will they threaten the group? Thank you again to everyone who has supported the story thus far, and I do hope you enjoy a bit of a twist to your favorite Manga!**

* * *

When the threat was over, Polnareff exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowed as he glanced back. As Anne recovered in the hallway, she looked up as Polnareff knelt down, gently taking her arm to observe it as it healed slowly. Joseph and Avdol began to make their way towards them down the hallway, the two having used spirit photography while this was all happening to observe Dio and uncover a disturbing message.

"Well, it's about time you finished him off-"

"This is no ordinary sun allergy." The Frenchman looked up, his eyes still narrowed. "What are you?"

Anne clenched her teeth. "This is the thanks I get for saving your life-"

"Tell me what you are! Say the words, or Silver Chariot will cut them out of you." He threatened. "I was already fooled once… if anyone else stands in the way of me avenging my sister or harming my friends, I won't stand for it! Mr. Avdol… he said that man, Dio- no, he isn't a man, is he? You're like he is!"

"I am NOTHING like Dio!" Anne shouted.

"What happened here?" Avdol asked.

"We were attacked… it was in Polnareff's bedchambers…" Anne replied as she went to stand, Polnareff pressing her shoulder against the wall.

"Mr. Avdol. I have reason to believe this woman is a vampire." He said.

"We are already aware of this." Joseph said.

"Wh- What?! But how can we just let her stay with us when-"

"It was not an easy decision. But we have more pressing matters to attend to. We must find Jotaro and Kakyoin. Something is terribly wrong." Avdol cut him off.

"What do you mean?" Polnareff asked.

"Come with us." Avdol said to him. "Not you." He said to Anne, who had finally healed. "We cannot disclose this information with you." Avdol stopped, looking back at her a moment and sighing. He was about to say something to her when she cut him off.

"There's no need to say anything further. You don't have to be a fortune teller to know what I'm feeling right now… or perhaps that's a false statement considering my condition. I'll be downstairs. Perhaps there's a pay phone I can offer correspondence with." She said with bitter sarcasm. Avdol hissed, Joseph taking his shoulder.

"Muhammad, let her go. I think we're being too hard on the girl." He said.

"But Mr. Joestar, she could hurt us!" Polnareff exclaimed. "He always seems to be right about everything… now I see why he's been so distant with Anne."

"Would you have said that before we came to this hotel? She's had many opportunities to do so but she's remained true to her word so far. Come now, I have something to show you. We'll discuss Anne later." Inside Joseph's room, Polnareff noticed the TV was broken.

"Uh, Mr. Joestar? I'm sorry to say, but I'm not exactly a TV repair man…" Polnareff bit his lip.

"I saw Dio." Joseph started. "It seems there is a link between my grandfather's body and his descendants… that's why we've been attacked nonstop, because it gives Dio a direct connection to Jotaro and I."

"Wait, so there is no spy after all?" Polnareff asked.

"Hang on now… before that, we deciphered a message. There is a traitor among us…"

"I believe there are two. This would explain Kakyoin's closeness to the vampire." Avdol said.

"Wait, you aren't suggesting… no, Kakyoin can't be a traitor!" Polnareff shouted. "His fleshbud was removed, wasn't it? Like mine!"

"We will wait for him to return with Jotaro and we will find out." Joseph said. "If he tries anything funny, my grandson can hold his own."

Meanwhile, in the station, Jotaro was staring down at Kakyoin as the cable car pulled up behind him. Just moments prior, the one he called his ally had just pushed him over the railing and laughed it off as if it was just some prank, all while enjoying a cherry and insulting him. If anything else, Jotaro was going to get back at him... or whoever he was.

"Get in the car, Kakyoin." He told him, balling up his fist. "Use the ticket and get on... or I'll use my fist to make you move, and find out just what the hell is going on here!" He yelled, quickly hitting Kakyoin square in the jaw. To his shock, it started to not only dislocate, but tear apart as he flew back into the cable car, which closed behind Jotaro as it departed from the platform. The fake Kakyoin chuckled as he slowly got up and faced the delinquent stand user, his jaw hanging from one side and dangling on tendons.

"Now you'll see just what exactly is different about me!" He managed to say remarkably clearly, despite the grotesque shifting of his face. This only progressed when he continued to play with the cherry and rose to his feet, towering over Jotaro. "Haven't you realized it yet? You haven't noticed that I've been getting bigger and bigger the more I eat? Your height is 195 centimeters and I'm even taller than you!" The fake Kakyoin said. Jotaro backed away and readied himself for what was to come, staring down the imposter as his face began to melt slowly as he continued to speak, like a candle burning away from its flame. Jotaro finally noticed then that a bit of his hand felt like it was slowly burning. "My stand has the ability to assimilate all organic matter! That's why it can be seen and felt by normal people. My name is Rubber Soul, and my stand is represented by the 'Temperance' card; Yellow Temperance!" The user revealed as his whole head became a glowing yellow mass and spread out to reveal the user's true identity. His face was chiseled, his jet black hair long and flowing. He was actually more handsome than his grotesque stand would suggest. "This is my true handsome face!" He taunted.

In the hotel, Anne had thrown on her cloak and mask, heading downstairs. As she did, she stopped when she heard someone call her. She turned, seeing Kakyoin approaching her, having gotten a drink.

"Are you going somewhere? Is everything alright?" He asked. "What was that noise from earlier?"

"… Polnareff ran into a bit of trouble with another one of Dio's assassins. Don't worry. He's done for." She replied.

"W- Wait! Anne… are you sure you're okay? You seem to be in a hurry."

"I need to feed." She said without stopping.

"Here, let me… I can help you."

Anne stopped, looking back at him. "Why?"

Kakyoin blinked. "Anne, I don't understand. You are a part of our company, we have to-"

"Are you sure about that? I think that is still being debated."

Kakyoin frowned a bit. "Anne. Please let me help you. The others will trust you in time as I have. I don't know much about vampires… but I know you wouldn't betray us. They will see that in time."

"I have great doubt that will happen, Noriaki." She said. She was about to turn away, when he gently took her arm.

"Do you doubt me? Anne, please. Let me help you."

Anne exhaled softly, nodding. "If you could accompany me to a nearby hospital I can handle the rest."

They headed out, and when a few people stared at Anne, she glanced at him when he drew her a bit closer to him. "Can't be too careful." He said quietly, the pair reaching the local hospital. He waited, fascinated when she disappeared in a blink. About twenty minutes later, she returned. "Better?"

"Much, thank you." She replied, the two heading back towards the hotel. All of a sudden, she stopped.

"What's wrong?" Kakyoin asked.

"… I thought you had gone with Jotaro to purchase train tickets?"

Meanwhile, Joseph, Avdol and Polnareff were still speaking when the phone rang, Joseph picking it up. "Hello? Woah, slow down, what are you talking about? Where are you? What- hello? Hello? Shit!"

"Mr. Joestar, what's wrong?" Avdol asked.

"It's what we feared! Kakyoin has turned on Jotaro and he's in trouble! We have to go right-" Joseph stopped when there was a knock at the door, Polnareff opening it to reveal, to their shock, Kakyoin and Anne.

"Mr. Joestar, we have a serious problem." She said.

Meanwhile, Rubber Soul, who had been impersonating Kakyoin in order to isolate Jotaro and destroy him, hung at the edge of the pier as he was trying to stay afloat, severely battered, heavily bruised, and having told Jotaro all he could of some of his future encounters. But then a smirk appeared on his face as he reached further to the land. "Hehehe... luck still seems to be on my side. Do you see the lobsters around that hole? Take a good look..." He said to Jotaro. Jotaro looked to where Rubber Soul pointed out, seeing a few lobsters hanging around near a drainage opening, one of which crawled inside. Before Jotaro could react, the slime of Yellow Temperance began to shoot out from the pipe and cover him, pulling him into the pipe. Rubber Soul had fed off from the lobsters to regain some strength and tried to crush Jotaro with his regained mass. He had managed to get back up from the shore and was standing on the manhole he used to transfer his stand to the drainage pipe. He began to laugh at his incredible luck with this turn of events. "If I kill you, Dio has promised to give me a hundred million dollars! Can you believe it?! I only have to fight for a few minutes, and I can earn that much cash! Like lasting in the ring with Iron Mike Tyson! Am I not lucky?!" He cackled, certain of his victory.

If only it were it so easy.

"Give me a break... you have no idea what's going on, do you? You would have been lucky to walk away with just a broken nose." Jotaro said in a low voice. Star platinum appeared next to the captive delinquent and pulled back his fist, using only one hard punch to cover up the drainage hole. By itself, it did nothing but cover the hole, until Rubber Soul realized that the water pressure created by this was so immense, it launched both him and the manhole into the air and into his face to launch him back into the ocean. Jotaro then grabbed him by the back of the head as he feared for his life.

"H- Hey, it was a joke! I was just joking, Mr. Jotaro! Ha ha ha, get it? I'm just joking! It's just a stupid joke! Y- You gotta believe me! You can take a joke... right?" He asked fearfully. Jotaro stared daggers into the wounded stand user.

"I've got nothing more to say to you." Jotaro replied. From there, all that could be heard was the agonizing screams of pain from Rubber Soul as karma was delivered by Star Platinum's fists like several semi trucks on one's head. No one found his body after that, thus making Rubber Soul, stand user of Yellow Temperance, officially retired.

"Jotaro!" Joseph called for his grandson, searching for him along with Avdol, Kakyoin, Polnareff and Anne. He finally spotted him and the stowaway girl, relieved to see he was alright and in one piece. Jotaro caught him up with what happened, the older man turning to Avdol.

"So that is what the message meant. That stand user was disguising themselves as Kakyoin in order to lead Jotaro away from the rest of us." Avdol said before lowering his voice. "But Mr. Joestar, despite clearing him of any disloyalties… there is still one among us who I am still wary of."

"She's already helped us in a few snags. We should still keep an eye out, but there is no reason to jump to any conclusions right now." Joseph said, but Avdol persisted.

"Haven't you noticed we've been attacked nonstop? This isn't just Dio's connection to you through your grandfather's body. Anne could be keeping us alive for the simple means of allowing one of his other assassins to finish the job. She could be reporting our location and serving as a double agent." Avdol suggested. "The possibility of a spy has lessened with our discovery of this connection Mr. Joestar, but we can't just completely eliminate it."

"It just doesn't make sense. Dio wants to assassinate us. He wouldn't send Anne here just to tag along with us and make reports."

"She could be studying our stands- strengths, weaknesses. We have both encountered vampires, Mr. Joestar… we both know how manipulative and cunning they can be."

"Old man. Are you two coming or what? Train isn't going to wait all day." Jotaro said as the others waited by him.

Once they had all their things together, the group boarded the train, which also had accommodating bedrooms. It would be an overnight trip, reaching their destination in India by the following afternoon. After putting their things away, they found seats to have a bite to eat. They noticed that they were the only ones on the entire car, which they found odd.

"Hm… perhaps everyone is taking an afternoon nap." Jotaro wondered aloud.

"Jotaro, may I have that cherry?" Kakyoin asked.

"Sure." Jotaro replied, who made a face when the red head began to twirl the small piece of fruit on his tongue. It was not a nice reminder of what he witnessed on the pier.

"So gentlemen. May I hear suggestions on how you plan to combat Dio's forces and what information you have?" Anne asked when she approached Joseph, Avdol and Polnareff. They all looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, I've been able to find out a small bit from my spirit photography." Joseph said.

"Mr. Joestar!" Avdol exclaimed.

"This is a very unwise position to be in. Knowing little of your enemy will do nothing to prepare for the cards up Dio's sleeve… and I mean that quite literally." Anne said.

"Well, is there anything YOU know about Dio's forces?" Polnareff asked.

"All I know is that he's cunning and new never plays fair. We can determine at least how many assassins are still out there by what remaining major arcana representations remain that we have not yet encountered. Mr. Avdol seems to be very knowledgeable on the subject. However, we should be wary. Dio may have more than just cards up his sleeve. He's been on the hunt for anyone who can help his cause."

"What are you saying?" Joseph asked.

"I'm saying that perhaps there may be more than just assassins who have tarot card representations of their stands out there. There could be many, many more we haven't even got a clue of." Anne warned.

"I'm going to use the restroom." Polnareff said, getting up to head down the car. He was not pleased in the slightest that Anne was with them. To be the same creature as the one who had turned him into a mind slave, that was possibly working with the man that raped and killed his sister… it infuriated him. He wished he could just get rid of her, right then and there. He sighed as he washed his hands, opening the door to head back to where the others were still sitting. Before he could even take a step, he blinked when he saw Kakyoin standing there. "Huh, you have to go too, huh K-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the red head whipped out several throwing knives, flicking his hand. Polnareff cried out in surprise as they pinned him by certain points on his clothing to the wall behind him, his eyes wide.

"Surprised, aren't you? That's what makes a good performance. Not giving the same boring, expected, cliché act everyone is used to. You see something and expect something from it based on your own prejudgments. I love proving people wrong." He chuckled before flicking one last knife, embedding itself into the wall through Polnareff's hair, missing his skull by mere millimeters. "I've been watching you all for some time… I like you. You wear your heart on your sleeve despite not intending to. But that can be dangerous. Others take advantage of that. So, I'm giving you an advantage in return. Do you like magic? I certainly do. It's assisted me greatly in the past… a wonderful balance to my great sense of logic. I've placed several little tricks all about the train. Notice there aren't many people about? I'm not about harming those outside my business deals. Are you good at finding things? Well, I guess we'll see. Part of embracing the art of magic is the art of being an escapist. If you're going to do something spectacular you had better know how to get yourself the hell out of it. Well now, time isn't going to wait for you, Jean… or is it?" He snapped his fingers, disappearing in a flash right before Polnareff's eyes.

"What the hell was that?! Kakyoin!" Polnareff shouted, grunting as he started pulling the knives out of the wall, freeing himself from being pinned. He dashed back down the car to where the others were, panting.

"What in the bloody hell happened to you?" Anne asked upon seeing him.

"It was Kakyoin, he- what?! Wait, he's… been here with Jotaro the whole time? How?! He just attacked me in the bathroom!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"I defeated Rubber Soul. Do you think someone else may be impersonating him?" Jotaro asked.

"If that's the case then he's quite popular. Either way, it seems we have another assassin on board." Anne said.

"And so the mystery magic show begins."

They all turned, Jotaro and Kakyoin standing as the Kakyoin imposter stood before them. "Who the hell are you?!" Kakyoin shouted.

"I can probably tell you what you all are… confused, amazed, bewildered, curious, perhaps? Regardless, this could not be a more perfect set up. Death on a Train, that's a favorite read of mine. Consider it an inspiration of sorts. People are so used to going to a theatre, something with a stage to witness magic. I say it should be more spontaneous… integrated into ordinary life and places to make it extraordinary."

"You certainly like to chatter, don't you?" Anne said, sneering under her mask.

"Well well… I certainly like when YOU talk, my dear. I've always admired the British."

"Enough of this! Magician's Red!" Avdol shouted, launching the attack. However, when the smoke cleared, only a burning piece of clear wax paper, which had been drawn on to take on Kakyoin's appearance, remained.

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" The imposter chuckled, everyone turning as he was now behind the group. "I too am a magician, Muhammad Avdol, so your little fire tricks aren't going to work! I must say, from one smart red head to another, I admire your thirst for knowledge, Noriaki Kakyoin. It is why I feel it is an honor to impersonate you."

"We need to know about Dio's stand… if we work out some kind of deal with you, we can all just go our separate ways and be on our own!" Joseph said.

"I can't read his stand… it's not representative of any of the tarot arcana…" Avdol whispered to Polnareff, who growled lowly.

"I'm afraid I will have to decline that offer. See… having lived over a hundred years, Dio's knowledge and skills surpassed my expectations and greatly impressed me when he approached me for a trade."

"Very well, I guess I'll have to ensure the same fate for you as he then-" Anne growled, Kakyoin holding her back.

"Anne, we cannot be too rash. We know nothing of his stand yet." He warned.

"Feisty, are we? I cannot imagine what beautiful complexion lies underneath that mask to match such a lovely voice. Tell me, my dear… what would it take for you to join my side?"

"Nothing in the slightest, you arrogant bastard." Anne snapped.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? You may call me Leonard." He tipped his hat. "Anyhow… I would rather be arrogant than ignorant. There was a time that the rest of my filthy family made me disgusted with myself. Standing there, muddy red hair unkempt, buck teeth, unwashed overalls in the backwoods of the Midwestern United States. Being one of over a half a dozen siblings because all my mother knew how to do was pop out more brainless children, I despised that life. So, as I grew, I became less stupid as they were, and I learned quicker and quicker, everything I could absorb. As my stand developed, so did my ability to trick, deceive. It's so easy to do when your audience doesn't even have a shred of a clue. I finally ended my pathetic excuse for a family after learning a few tricks of my own from the insurance agency I worked for at the time… such a tragic accident, but then again, finding a bunch of rednecks burned to a crisp in a monster truck pit, what else is to be expected?"

"You monster!" Anne shouted as the imposter smirked. "You murdered your own family! I was forced to watch my own be sliced to bits by the likes of Dio and I would have done anything to save them!"

Polnareff glanced over, furrowing a brow at this as Anne seethed. Her whole family was murdered, by Dio no less. Perhaps she did have a heart at some point after all, even if it was long ago.

The magician chuckled at Anne's disapproval of his actions. "How noble of you, dear... but unlike you, I have no regrets for what I've done. I was sickened by them throughout my life. I was sickened by how I was no better than the lot when I was a child. I was caged in by them, their insulting lifestyles and my own... mental deficiencies. But thanks to my stand, I was released. Released from my ignorance, from my bloodline, from my mental cage... I am free." He said to the group, eyeing all of his traps hidden throughout the train. "And with Dio's bounty on your heads, I shall be free to show all the world my genius in the creation of illusions! I will never be caged in by stupidity, for I... am a FREE BIRD!" He shouted, his cape whipping around him to reveal his true identity. He had short, chopped red hair, light complexion with a few stray freckles here and there, his green eyes lit up with anticipation.

As Jotaro attempted to waste no time, summoning Star Platinum to attack, he removed his top hat and let a small, strange dove fly out of his hat with a small pocket watch in its talons. Suddenly, the whole group began to move much slower than anticipated. Even the incredible speed of Star Platinum had diminished as it tried to attack the twisted magician. However, Leonard moved at normal speed, or, compared to the group now, far faster. Everyone looked over as they saw a large human-like feline appear, realizing Anne had summoned Sekhmet. The fierce creature's piercing red eyes kept Leonard in her sights, driving her clawed hands forward to shoot out a Shadow Sandstorm, which swirled madly around him.

"Heirophant Green, seize him!" Kakyoin cried, the tail of his stand shooting into the swirling black sand. He and Anne nodded to one another, only to be confused when the stand was grabbing at nothing. The tail shot out then, hitting itself, causing Kakyoin's nose to bleed. The group was shocked to see that Leonard had appeared behind them. When the sand dissipated, a mirror stood.

"Deceptive mirrors… ever heard that objects in certain mirrors appear closer than they actually are? A lovely tool of mine." He chuckled.

"Try this tool out then! Silver Chariot!" Polnareff shouted, smirking when his stand thrust his sword forward, stabbing Leonard's side.

"You got him, Polnareff!" Avdol exclaimed.

"Not quite." Leonard smirked, twirling away to reveal that Silver Chariot had stabbed an outer protective layer disguised to look like a part of his suit. "The effects of my stand are wearing off, but you were still not quick enough!"

"Damn it!" Joseph growled. "Hermit Purple, grab him!" He shouted, the violet colored string of thorns springing forth from his hand. They wrapped around Leonard, who simply laughed.

"A lovely trick… one that's been dealt to me before!" He said, rolling something in his hand and dropping it. It was a small smoke bomb, obscuring him in non-toxic vapors.

"Mr. Joestar, you must keep hold of him!" Kakyoin shouted.

Just then, another bird flew out from the smoke, holding a new ticking pocket watch in its talons. Everyone's movements slowed, and Joseph was unable to dodge a chain shooting out from the dissipating smoke, wrapping around his wrist like a lasso and pulling back, spinning him in a dizzying frenzy until he was trapped.

"No!" Avdol shouted as Joseph tried to free himself, but several locks were spread out on the chains.

"One down, five left." Leonard chuckled from what seemed to be inside another room.

"Come out and fight us, coward!" Polnareff shouted, opening a door to see nothing was inside. A ball and chains was pulled when he opened the door, swinging across the train car to slam into his back, shoving him inside and the door slammed shut. "Shit! S- Someone, there's spikes on the door, I can't get out!"

Jotaro tightened his jaw, about to unleash a slew of punches when Leonard used another bird. Slowing him down, this gave him the opportunity to activate another trap. As time was slowed, Jotaro noticed that small amounts of Leonard's hair had begun to stick out. He pulled a lever, opening the train doors. From the outside, a metal arm came over and down, a buzz saw whirring. As another pocket watch ran out of time, the young man cried out as he felt the blade slicing along his back. He fell to one knee, hissing as he gasped for air.

"Jotaro!" Kakyoin cried.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And here we are, folks. Going to be leaving you on a bit of a cliffhanger here! So, what do you think of Leonard? Has he pulled a fast trick on Jotaro? Will the group be able to free Joseph and Polnareff and figure out the science behind the magic? Stay tuned for the next update which will conclude this standoff as our heroes continue their journey! Thanks again for reading and see you next time!**


	5. Death's Reflection

**Hello, readers! I left you on quite a cliff hanger last time, didn't I? Well fear not, you will soon learn of Jotaro's fate, as well as the fates of the rest of our heroes as they face off against the cunning Leonard and his Free Bird. You may learn a bit more than that as the chapter progresses as well! So, will they overcome the magician's tricks, or will this be another gruesome story of Death on a Train? As always, please enjoy this latest update!**

* * *

As Leonard was about to finish off Jotaro, Kakyoin summoned Heirophant Green, his tail grabbing onto the mechanical arm connected to the buzz saw to stop it from ending Jotaro's life. As he did this, Anne slowly turned, Sekhmet next to her as she stared unblinkingly at Jotaro.

"… Asp of Mercy." Anne whispered.

Sekhmet crouched down then, still focused on Jotaro. On each of her arms, she had an upper arm bracelet that looked like a golden coiled snake. The bracelet on the right arm suddenly started to uncoil as she extended her hand, becoming animated as it slithered down her wrist. It then propelled itself through the air, landing on Jotaro's arm where it coiled snug around his wrist, biting into it.

"NO!" Avdol said as he witnessed this, believing Anne was finally taking the opportunity to turn against them. Leonard was delighted at this prospect, deciding to let her handle the younger Joestar while he kept Avdol at bay.

Jotaro was taken by surprise however, when the sharp pain in his back began to disappear.

"What the…" He glanced back, reaching a hand to feel his back before looking at it. Not a single drop of blood was to be seen. He looked up at Anne as the golden snake began to uncoil from him, darting back onto Sekhmet's arm to resume its original position.

"Asp of Mercy is the opposite of the Asp of Spite. Spite takes, mercy gives. This aspect of my stand allows the ability to heal others at the expense of a portion of my own energy, dependent on the severity of the wound inflicted." Anne explained to him as Jotaro raised a brow in genuine surprise.

Meanwhile, Leonard shoved Avdol back into an empty linen closet as he used another bird, a clear sliding door slamming flush against the wall, containing rubber edges. The reason for this was soon discovered when a pipe sticking out from above him began to spew water. At this, Leonard laughed.

"Don't you love the irony? Your stand will be useless now, fire cannot fight water! I rearranged some of the plumbing on the train to make this trick come to life." Leonard chuckled. "Now… there is only one-"

"Not so fast, Leonard… not that you have an issue with that." Anne smirked under her mask. "There are still three of us left."

Leonard furrowed his brows, Jotaro turning a bit so he saw his back was healed. Kakyoin gasped lightly, glancing at Anne a moment. "But… the saw… how-"

"Come now, I thought you had an appreciation for tricks." Anne said, her turn now to chuckle. "Now would be a good time to change your act."

Leonard's expression slowly changed, darkening as he slowly smiled. "My dear… I couldn't agree more." He conjured another bird, slowing down time once again. He then whipped something out from under his suit, a loud blast ringing through the air as he shot his revolver. When time resumed as normal, Kakyoin's eyes widened as Anne staggered back a bit.

"Anne!" He cried, supporting her as her knees gave out. Jotaro's spine stiffened, but remained still. Anne shakily felt her abdomen, looking up at her hand to see blood on her fingertips.

"Oh… what a pity. Looks like you'll need a new lovely assistant, Kakyoin." Leonard said. "Now… what to do with the two of you? Hm… I have just the trick." He smirked.

"You're going to pay for that! Heirophant Green, emerald splash!" Kakyoin shouted.

"Free Bird!" Leonard cried out, time slowing down as the emeralds slowed. Leonard easily dodged them all, chuckling to himself.

"Kakyoin! It's no use, he's just going to- mmph!" Avdol tried to shout as Leonard dodged the assault. He was quickly becoming submerged, trying to bang on the transparent door. As Leonard dodged the emeralds, one hit against the door, making a small crack, just large enough for water to leak through a bit.

Leonard side stepped as the next bird nearly ran out of time, unveiling a mirror that seemed to be swirling. Kakyoin slowed to a stop, seeming to be mesmerized by the mirror.

"Kakyoin, don't focus on that." Jotaro said, still knelt over Anne.

"It's too late, Jotaro… he's already fallen into my next trap… any good magician knows basic hypnosis… but I'm going to take it one step further!" Leonard grinned.

"Heirophant Green!" Kakyoin shouted, whirling around so that Jotaro could see that his eyes were now swirling also. He grunted as he felt the stand's tail wrap around him tightly, trying to crush him.

"Such a shame… so many tricks I wanted to use on you, but this is quite a satisfying show on its own. So, Jotaro… I shall enjoy this final act and then go along my merry way." Leonard leaned against the wall, chuckling lightly. Jotaro clenched his teeth, but his expression changed when he noticed the lights in the car flickering lightly. He smirked a bit as he looked over at Leonard.

"Looks like someone may want an encore, first." He said.

Black sand swirled around Kakyoin, breaking him out of his hypnosis before passing out. Leonard's eyes widened as Sekhmet pounced out of the black sand, leaving a single, deep claw mark on his cheek as she crouched down, hissing. He touched his face before seeing blood on his fingertips, whirling around as he was swiftly pinned against the wall by Anne.

"H- How… I… I shot you, you should be dead!" Leonard cried. He managed to fumble for his gun, shooting Anne's torso several times. She maintained her stance before, to his horror, Leonard witnessed the bullets clatter to the floor. "… this… cannot be…"

"It is." Anne removed her face mask for a moment, smirking as she revealed her fangs. "Your pistol isn't going to kill me."

"No… but I know something that will!" Leonard shouted, trying to whirl Anne towards the window in an attempt to allow the sun to burn her face. However, Jotaro blocked out the light as he slowly approached, allowing Anne to place her mask back on.

"Now I get to be entertained." Jotaro said lowly as he glared, summoning Star Platinum. "Ora Ora Ora!" He shouted as he sent a slew of punches Leonard's way.

"Aaah! Free bird! Free bird! Free bird!" He cried in an attempt to stop the assault. As he did this, his neat hair began to unravel even more, sticking up one by one about his head as his speech began to slur as well.. "Fr- Fruh…"

"What's happening to him?" Anne asked as she took his cane, using it to smash open the crack in the sliding door, allowing Avdol to breathe. She then went over to Joseph, grunting as she broke his chains, freeing him. She then flew the door open to where Polnareff was trapped, the French man crying in surprise. Anne stared flatly for a moment, rolling her eyes before heading over to attend to Kakyoin.

* * *

 **Stand User: Leonard**

 **Stand: Free Bird**

 **Abilities:**

 **Talon' Time: Upon answering its call, Free Bird emerges, activating its pocket watch in order to slow down time. It lasts about 5-10 seconds, and can be used as many times as needed during a standoff, but the tradeoff is that it depletes the user's IQ by two points each time it's called.**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: B**

 **Potential: D**

 **Leonard, stand user of Free Bird- Status: Retired**

 **After being discovered on the train by a random passenger, Leonard was determined to be mentally incapacitated and unable to care for himself when admitted to a local hospital. He was thereafter transferred to a mental institution where he lives permanently. He is unable to speak or call to his stand. All his assets were liquefied to go towards his long term care.**

* * *

"Well, seems like he won't be much of a threat to us anymore." Jotaro said.

"He's the one who's slowed down now… must be a side effect of the stand. A cost of its use, so to speak." Anne said. "Sweet dreams..."

"Hm… there are some stands who work oddly like this… each is unique, so I can't say I'm surprised." Joseph said.

"That attack you used on Jotaro…" Avdol said as he shook out his clothes, addressing Anne. "… explain yourself."

"Perhaps we should have everyone recover first, then I shall explain the details of my stand-"

"You will not do another thing until you reveal the ways of your stand to us, Ms. Lennox."

"It saved Jotaro's life in that moment, that's all you need to know." Anne replied, waking Kakyoin and helping him to sit up.

"No, no more secrets! Each one of us has been open about their stands!"

"Perhaps that is why we are at such a disadvantage, Mr. Avdol."

"You will come clean or you will suffer the consequences. Just before we were attacked you mentioned the possibility of non-tarot based stands and we were immediately attacked by one such as you described. This is no mere coincidence. It doesn't help your image or your trustworthiness."

Anne scoffed. "I have saved your lives many times over already and you still suspect I am a spy?" She scowled, shaking her head. "I will listen to no more of your prejudice for today, Mr. Avdol, I am quite exhausted as it is." She snapped, shoving past him. "If anyone should feel the need to bother me I shall be in my resting quarters!" She shouted, going into her assigned bedroom and slamming the door.

"I could use a nap." Jotaro said, going down the car to his own bedroom. He was in a three person accommodation, sharing it with Kakyoin and Polnareff, while Avdol and Joseph had a bunk bed room. Because the train traveled long distances, passengers could pay extra for a bedroom with their ticket.

"Finally, some rest and relaxation!" Polnareff sighed.

"If you're going to talk, just be quiet about it." Jotaro said, pulling his cap over his eyes as he laid down.

"Jotaro, how was Anne able to heal your back?" Kakyoin asked. "When Avdol and I were fighting, we saw you suddenly reappear after you had been cut."

"Her stand. But I noticed something as she was healing me. As it was happening, I noticed a pair of bite marks appear on Anne's left arm where the bracelet would be on her stand. That's the trade-off. By using it to heal someone… it depletes her own life source."

"Wait, her stand can heal others?" Polnareff asked.

"She truly is full of surprises." Kakyoin said.

Meanwhile, Joseph sighed as he walked down the car, planning to get something to eat. He stopped as he passed Anne's door, stopping when he heard something. After back tracking a bit, he realized the quiet sound he heard from the other side of the door was her crying. After a moment of debating with himself as to whether or not he should intervene, he gently knocked on her door. He heard a bit of fumbling, clearing of throat, shuffling. A pause. She was trying to compose herself. One thing Joseph had learned about Anne thus far, is she did try to conduct herself with class. She had a degree of poise, regardless of the situation. She finally opened the door, straightening her spine a bit. She was wearing a nightgown underneath a robe, slippers, her loose, blonde curls hanging over one shoulder.

"Is there something you needed, mister Joestar?" Anne asked.

"Anne… may I speak with you a moment?" Joseph inquired.

"Very well." Anne responded, the two going inside to sit. As they did, he noticed an old chain around her neck, unable to see clearly what was hanging from it as it was obscured under the collar fold of her robe.

"Anne… I know there has been some tension among us. Muhammad is a close friend of mine, and I take his feelings and opinions very seriously." He said.

"I understand." Anne nodded. "Mr. Joestar, I know what you are trying to tell me and I appreciate your effort to express it as gently as possible. As soon as we reach India, I will take leave of this company and follow my own path to Egypt. I take no offense… I know where I am not wanted. I was a fool to maintain my place here as long as I did. Please convey to the others I meant no harm of any kind if they so choose to believe it." She was about to get up to exit the room when Joseph placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"No, Anne. As I said, Avdol's intuition on things is not taken lightly by me. However… this time, I'm afraid I can't agree with his suspicions." Joseph said. "I have seen and experienced many kinds of people. I have experienced vampires of the most dangerous kind… and I have seen some of the kind of assassins Dio has sent after us…" He shook his head. "You are not like them. I don't think you are manipulative. Perhaps cold, at times… but I just have a feeling you are true about your intentions."

"… I appreciate that sentiment." She replies. "If you wish me to stay, then I shall."

Joseph nodded. "Anne… my grandfather… was he… what was he-"

"I did not know him well. All I know is that, like his father, he was proper but benevolent. My father was fiercely loyal to them and he had every reason to be." Anne said. "I know why you are taking this journey, Mr. Joestar. It isn't primarily for revenge, or spite, or hunger for power. It for the opposite, actually. It is for the same reason I willingly became this. It was in the name of love. It was in the name of fear. Fear for someone close whose life is… was… in peril. The fear… of losing everything and everyone dear." She paused, looking down and taking off the chain around her neck. "I noticed you were glancing at this." She held up the chain to reveal the dog tags hanging from it. "Do you think it odd? A woman wearing something she could never dream to have involved herself with?" She chuckled lightly, her fangs showing. "War… I have known it for far longer, far earlier than the one that took the life these belonged to."

"Did those belong to another relative of yours?" Joseph asked.

"I've already told you, Mr. Joestar… I no longer have a family." She said. "No… this belonged to a man I cared for… in more ways than one. After traveling the world in search for myself after I gave up my search for Dio, I returned to England when the second world war broke out. There, I killed two birds with one stone. I did something I would consider fulfilling to my soul by becoming a nurse at a hospital treating soldiers from the many battles afflicting Europe. At the same time… I had easy access to blood. Many of the men that flooded in… I could see, smell they weren't going to last. I became an angel of death to many, ending their suffering… while prolonging mine."

"Even after all my dangerous experiences in my youth… I remember living through that time. It was… I can't imagine taking on that kind of responsibility." Joseph looked at his feet.

"After a while I became numb to it. Stone faced… like a cold, unfeeling creature. Bringing them comfort took it from me. But one day… life came among death. I was assigned to a new influx. I always took the night shift for… obvious reasons. One night, after some French soldiers had been transferred to our hospital, I found myself humming for some reason. I couldn't remember the last time I even thought of uttering a single note. I hadn't noticed him sit up. It wasn't until he spoke. He asked me to please keep singing, that it was the most beautiful thing he ever heard. Now knowing the French… the men are charmers, but… something in his voice told me he was genuine. And then I looked at his face. His eyes were covered with a cloth. He had been blinded by gas."

A part of Joseph didn't understand why he was sitting here, listening to Anne tell her story. However, another part of him felt it would be insensitive, cruel even, to just reject what she had to say and walk away. Since she introduced herself, there was a part that refused to believe she was lying, that every word she said was truthful and genuine. He had seen much in his years, and tended to be a good judge of character. No, this was the right thing to do. Despite what Avdol would think, he felt that Anne could use someone who would listen, someone who would understand, to help her in this journey as she helped them. Perhaps she just needed a friend, or perhaps in this case, somewhat of a father figure.

A father figure.

That was it, he deduced. It finally occurred to him; when he looked at Anne, she had begun to unconsciously remind him of her. Holly, his one, precious daughter. Anne may have had more of a harder exterior than Holly, but there was no doubt that she hid a warmth inside. She wasn't an unfeeling monster. She still had humanity. Like Holly, she didn't always make the best decision, but they did it for the best reason. And so, Joseph smiled to himself as he listened to Anne speak.

"So, each night, he listened for me. After a week I finally decided to actually speak to him. I barely knew how to speak to someone, anyone, casually anymore. I soon found him to be quite charming… kind… I still don't know how he managed to place himself in a war. His heart was too good, too gentle." Anne said.

"Did you… marry?" Joseph asked, and Anne's smile faded.

"No. Several months passed… his eyes healed, and… when he first laid them upon me… I was frightened."

"You, frightened? I can't imagine you being afraid of anything." Joseph chuckled.

"Quite the contrary. But when he saw me… it was if he was standing before a-… he… he had called me an angel. He had no idea what I was… am… capable of. Our bond grew stronger. He wished for me to live humbly in the countryside of France. He was without luxury, title or high societal standard… but he was the most valuable thing I had. That was… until I once again lost everything." A pause. "Bombers… were not always accurate. The enemy planned to launch an attack on some local government buildings in London. However, they miscalculated the coordinates."

Joseph frowned. "Anne…"

"He had been nearly finished with physical therapy when chaos ensued. I wasted no time trying to get him to safety. Bless him, he had been more concerned about my well-being, not knowing of my… condition. We were almost there… we had almost made it out… and then he heard it. A little girl, crying. We stopped, the door she was trapped behind had been broken. We managed to break it down, freeing her to which she ran, making it to safety. We were in the middle of doing the same…" She closed her eyes for a moment, her hand closing around the dog tags. "… the integrity of the facility gave… the ceiling fell right onto him. His entire lower body was crushed. His injuries were far to great to help. I barely remember the words he said to me… I was too preoccupied trying to comprehend the fact that I could feel his life slipping away. And just as it had been before… when I was too late to stop Dio from slaughtering my family… I was helpless to prevent the inevitable. These…" Anne looked down at the dog tags. "… were the only material possession he claimed. He told me to take it, for it was all he had… he only hoped it was enough for me to remember him by."

Inside the next room, the three young men inside were quiet as they could hear Anne speaking to Joseph. Avdol had been eavesdropping in the hall, quietly retreating. He wasn't going to have any of his suspicions proven at this time. Jotaro exhaled slowly, pulling his cap over his face. Polnareff stared ahead in thought, and Kakyoin stared at his feet. How much more suffering had Anne endured that they were not aware of?

"I'm sorry." Joseph said. "I… I can't imagine losing my wife… my… daughter…" He shut his eyes, opening them when he felt Anne place her head on his.

"I know you try to hide it also, Mr. Joestar. But I see your fear. It is why you are here, on this journey. It is why I am here too… one of the reasons." Anne said. "I know what I am. I also know what I am not. My skin may be cold, but my heart is not, despite what some may believe. It is broken. I do not wish the same fate for you. For Jotaro."

"Well… I believe what you're saying is the truth. I have dealt with vampires before. Some that lived before anyone living on this planet now we're even a thought." Joseph said, Anne listening curiously. "Do you know why you are not like them?"

"Why?" Anne asked.

"Because you aren't ruthless… you don't hurt people for power or see no value in life. Yes, you're a vampire, Anne, and… none of us can change that. But in your heart, you're still human. You are not like the creatures I fought in the past. I could tell that easily early on. It's why I was reluctant even then to send you away." Joseph answered.

"I appreciate your kind sentiments, Mr. Joestar." Anne smiled lightly.

"Also… you can call me Joseph if you want. You may not look it but technically you're the elder here." Joseph chuckled. To his surprise, Anne's face lit up a bit as she actually laughed. It was a nice sound, something she was not even accustomed to anymore.

Joseph eventually went back to the room he was sharing with Avdol, sighing when the younger man looked over at him. "Mr. Joestar... I-"

"I know you heard everything. I understand your suspicions. I don't think she is working for Dio." Joseph said.

"With all due respect… I don't think she would attack us directly at this point, but there is still a possibility of her being an informant." Avdol suggested.

"If she was an informant for Dio, we would have dealt with far worse by now." Joseph responded. "Should we think the same for Polnareff? Kakyoin?"

"They are not vampires… she is, and as she already has said, by her own will." Avdol said.

"But it wasn't for the same reason Dio became one. He did it for personal gain, Anne did it to try to gain an advantage to save her family. All I am asking is for you to give her a chance."

Avdol exhaled slowly. "I still remember that feeling I had when Dio drew near in that alleyway. Thankfully, I was able to get away that time before he could get to me. I worry that I may find myself in that situation again and not be lucky the second time… or another of us finding themselves in that place. Feeling that cold chill slowly draining all light and life from anything around it."

"That isn't going to happen with Anne. I'm sure of it. I wouldn't risk our lives like that, my grandson's life. She may be a bit misguided, but her heart is in the right place. We have to keep focus on what truly matters. We have to get to Egypt and fight our true enemy. I have to save Holly." Joseph advised.

Avdol nodded. "Alright. I trust your word, Joseph."

With that said, the group took the opportunity to rest up for the remainder of the train ride, the sun setting as night soon came upon them. The next morning, they felt a bit more refreshed after a good night's sleep and some breakfast to refuel. The train soon arrived to their next destination, stopping at a station in Calcutta, India. The group gathered what things they had, disembarking the train. Once they did, however, they were met with a great concentration of people, many of them beggars as it was commonly seen in this city. Making their way through the sea of people, they finally managed to get a taxi, going into town where they could settle into a local restaurant for lunch.

"Talk about a cultural shock…" Polnareff said with exasperation.

"It's not so bad." Jotaro shrugged as he sipped on some tea.

"Jotaro, are you out of your mind?! It's chaos out there!" Joseph exclaimed.

"You just have to adjust, that's all." Avdol added.

"Not every country is prim and proper like England is. Geographics, resources, and financial stability all play a part in the welfare of a population." Anne says.

"Oui, oui, whatever you said with all those big words. I'm going to take a piss." Polnareff said, getting up. Anne glanced at him through her mask. Kakyoin looked at her, remembering what he heard her tell Joseph the day before.

"Don't take it personally… he's just a bit worked up is all." Kakyoin said, trying to reassure her.

"I refuse to allow to someone who has only two functioning brain cells to personally insult me. Perhaps if he devoted an ounce of time to something other than his hairstyle he would know and utilize more 'big words' rather than mock me for doing so." Anne said, taking a sip of her tea. "Ah, Chai… it's been some time since I tasted its warmth."

"So… you've been to India before, Ms. Lennox?" Avdol asked, to everyone's surprise.

"Several times. Despite the many impoverished areas, India also offers much natural beauty and opportunities for spiritual healing." Anne replied.

"I see." Avdol cleared his throat.

Just then, their meal was served. Anne dined on a few vegetable and rice dishes with some chicken. "So, Jotaro… what do you enjoy doing in your free time?" She asked. When he raised a brow, she smirked. I ask you because the rest of our party seems far more verbal about these things." She smirks lightly.

Jotaro shrugs. "What do you expect me to say?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. People are like books but your pages have been quite vague thus far. You exert much effort of retaining normalcy through being ordinary."

"Something wrong with that?" He asks.

"No. It simply makes it more difficult to determine one's character." Anne says.

Joseph raised his brows, he and Kakyoin exchanging looks as Jotaro stared at Anne for a moment. "I like to read."

"What do you like to read?" Anne asked.

"About ships… airplanes." He responded.

"Has it been your wish to travel?"

"… I like ocean studies. It's interesting. So I read about how to run an airplane or a ship so I can get closer to the ocean."

Anne smiled. "See… was that so hard?"

"What good does knowing that about me do?" Jotaro asked.

"It's how one builds a friendship, trust." Anne replied, eating some vegetables.

"Why be friends with me?"

"Why not?" Anne smirked. "Do you see so little in yourself? Perhaps you fear I may fawn over you if I know too much. I assure you, you don't charm me in the slightest." She chuckled a bit. Jotaro raised a brow at first, smirking a bit himself after a few moments.

"Don't flatter yourself." He said to her.

"It's been quite some time since I had a little fun." She said. The other three men stared at them in silent surprise as she resumed to eat, Jotaro doing the same.

"Well then!" Joseph laughed. "Perhaps I can share a story from my glory days, hm?"

"Can you give the abridged version?" Jotaro asked as he took a bite of his food.

Just then, Polnareff stormed into the area. "Damn it, there's too many people!"

"What is it?" Joseph stood up. "Did you see another stand user?"

"Avdol… I saw a stand, I know it. It used mirrors… it… I know it's the one…" He furrowed his brows.

"The one?" Anne asked.

"… the one who murdered my sister." Polnareff said lowly.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And here we are once again! I'm sure many of you are familiar with what happens next in this story... but will it be everything you expect? Will Anne settle her differences with some among the group to help Polnareff seek vengeance? Tune in next time for the following update, and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on Leonard and the story so far- it is much appreciated! Thank you as always for reading, and see you next time!**


	6. The Cost of Revenge: Part One

**Good afternoon, readers! Here we are with another update! Before we begin, just a small announcement- a reviewer pointed out some confusion with Anne's stand and abilities. After some thinking, Revolver and I decided to go back and add what we're calling "stat breaks"- in the show, you would see a small break between scenes now and then displaying a stand user, their stand, and their stats. I am essentially doing this in written form for any OC stand user you will encounter in this fanfiction. You will see a description of their abilities as well as a small description of any retired opponents once defeated. I think this will clear up any confusion while staying true to the anime. Thank you all again for your support, and please enjoy as always!**

* * *

Anne's spine straightened. "Then we pursue him immediately." She said, the group looking to her. "He is a damnable scoundrel and an accomplice to Dio. We must make haste to eliminate him."

"I agree." Polnareff replied. "That's why I must do this alone. I'm going to find this bastard myself and kill him!"

"Are you barking mad? More eyes and hands to pursue him means-"

"Hands? Hands?! It was HIS hands that took one of the most precious people from me! Don't try to act like you understand when you really don't care!" He growled.

"She's right." Avdol said suddenly, and Polnareff widened his eyes. "You have no idea how this stand really works, what he has planned. He has only revealed himself to you for a reason. He wants you to go after him. It is surely a trap."

"Mr. Avdol, is there anything you can offer based on Jean's observation?" Anne asked.

"His stand seems to reflect the Hanged Man. One to give in to sin and temptation, both vicious and vile in nature." Avdol said. "Polnareff, you will not do this on your own. I forbid you to separate from this group."

"What?! So you're taking HER side now?!"

"I am on the side that best benefits everyone involved in this." Avdol said.

"Look. I could care less about Dio. He means nothing to me. I told you back in China that I am here to take revenge."

"Do you not remember you were brainwashed by Dio?" Avdol reminded him.

"You're one to talk, you ran away from him like a dog!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"But I am the cold one then, sir?" Anne said bitterly.

"You stay out of this! You expect me to believe you care about my sister?! Neither one of you understand what that feels like!"

"Guys, calm it down." Joseph tried to intervene.

"Quite the contrary, Jean, I do understand. I may not know your sister, but her fate was tragic and her death was meaningless. I too wish to see you earn your revenge but you cannot be impulsive!"

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do! You're an unfeeling creature, YOU'RE the one who can't do things, like feel, you probably don't even HAVE a heart!"

"That's enough!" Kakyoin suddenly shouted as Anne slowly removed her mask, able to see her face under her hood. Her expression was a mixture of anger and hurt, and Polnareff snickered.

"What, did I strike a nerve in you both?" Polnareff asked bitterly.

"Why you-!" Avdol shouted, about to punch him before Joseph held him back.

"Muhammad, let him go. He's made his decision." Joseph said.

"I wholeheartedly agree." Anne said as she placed her mask back on. "But first, let me answer his question. Yes, you did strike a nerve, Mr. Polnareff." She spat. "So allow me to return the favor." She said before rearing her hand back, slapping him. "If I do ultimately offer any assistance in this matter it will be for the benefit of this party and to honor your passed sister, not for you!"

"Muhammad, Anne, don't be angry with him." Joseph said as Polnareff grabbed his things, holding his face as he made his way off.

"I am not angry. I am disappointed. I have seen his capability of honor, but he did not have that today." He glanced at Anne, who stood with great tension in her figure. He took a moment of self-reflection before the remainder of the group made their own way off. Anne began to stride ahead of the group.

"Anne. Anne, slow down. Anne-!" Kakyoin exclaimed, taking her arm and she hissed as she was whirled around.

"What? Do you think I should pretend that we're all best friends here? That we all genuinely care for one another? Or that each of us is here for their own agenda and nothing more? The former is an illusion, Noriaki."

"Anne, listen to me. You can't turn us away now. This is what Dio wants, he wants us to be torn apart so he will have the upper hand. We have to stick together through this." Kakyoin said, and Anne calmed a bit. "Guys, let's just take a walk through town, cool off."

"That sounds like a good idea." Joseph said. He was about to go ahead with Avdol, but the Egyptian remained where he was.

"Ms. Lennox."

Anne turned towards him. "Yes, Mr. Avdol?"

"Polnareff's harsh words towards you… made me realize that my behavior towards you up to this point has been less than decent. I did not personally intend to offend you, but my primary concern is for the Joestar family."

"I understand the reason for your suspicion. It was not one of malice. You don't have to like what I am. I don't even like it. I share my priorities with yours."

"My civility towards you will be based on that." Avdol said, nodding.

"I appreciate you feeling this way." Anne said. Avdol then rejoined Joseph, Kakyoin gently patting Anne's shoulder once before joining them as well. Anne exhaled slowly, about to catch up with them.

"I know why he bothers you."

Anne turned her head at Jotaro's words. "I beg your pardon?"

"Polnareff. You know, that train may have been nice, but the walls are thin. Kinda hard to not hear things. Look, he's not the guy you lost. That guy is gone. Trying to see something that isn't there in someone else isn't going to do shit for you." Jotaro said. "Avdol didn't make you bat an eye when he insulted you but Polnareff rubs you the wrong way."

Anne looked away for a moment. "Perhaps that is accurate… only subconsciously."

"Sour feelings don't get you anywhere. Just gives other people a vice to ruin you." Jotaro said as he began to walk ahead of her.

"Having none weakens you also." Anne said, making the young man stop. "But I don't believe you have none. You simply repress things extremely well. But that too, takes much from you. Perhaps we both need compromise."

"I'm not into compromising."

"You did just before in the restaurant. You could have told me to sod off when I asked you about yourself. But you didn't. By that in it of itself, it shows I don't quite annoy you. Not yet." Anne said with a smirk in her voice. Jotaro emitted a single snicker, adjusting his cap.

"You're smarter than I thought." He said. Kakyoin glanced back as Jotaro and Anne walked side by side to catch up with them. Kakyoin was about to say something when they caught up when they heard commotion from one street over. They collectively sped up their pace, rounding the corner to see that Polnareff was engaged in a showdown with another man wearing attire resembling that of a cowboy's. He was holding a revolver, firing the gun right at his head. Polnareff was fast, but not fast enough to deflect something like this. Without a moments hesitation, Avdol ran straight towards them.

"Polnareff!" He cried, shoving the young Frenchman to the ground. The bullets missed them, Polnareff shocked.

"What are you doing here?" Polnareff asked.

"Trying to prevent you from making a fatal mistake! Do you see your error now? You are being overconfident!"

"You're just trying to tell me what to do again! I'm not a child, I can handle this!"

Anne strode up to them then, grabbing Polnareff by his shirt. "This is not a game and I'm not playing when I tell you to stop acting like a stupid jackass and do something other than being stubborn." She said lowly as Hol Horse smirked at them. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Avdol, the bullet! It's coming back!" She shouted.

"I'll take care of it. Magician's Red!" He cried, about to summon his stand when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. From the puddle below, the mysterious Hanged Man stand arose, stabbing Avdol. As this happened, the bullet sped towards him, striking his forehead.

"No!" Anne shouted, summoning Sekhmet to assault the Hanged man, only managing to land one clawed scratch on its face as it slipped away. Avdol fell, his forehead bleeding.

"Well then, we just got ourselves our biggest threat. Talk about dumb luck… luck to those who don't do the dumb thing." Hol Horse chuckled as Anne growled.

"There is no victory in cowardice!" She shouted.

"Aww… don't feel so bad, little lady… if you want, I could make some room for you on the winning side."

"Sod off, you pompous bastard!" Anne shouted as Kakyoin ran to Avdol's aid.

"No… how could this happen?!" He cried.

Hol Horse shrugged. "Suit yourself then." He tipped his hat at her.

Anne turned to the side, looking at Kakyoin as he shook Avdol in a failed attempt to wake him. "Collect him and bring him to Joseph so he may decide what is to be done."

Polnareff's back was to them as he scoffed. "That's what he gets for bossing people around and getting in my way… can't even look at him."

"What?! Polnareff, you can't be serious!" Kakyoin shouted.

"Who told him to get involved in my business?! He stuck his nose in it and that's why he died! That's why I came here alone!"

"He saved your life!" Kakyoin shouted.

"Don't trouble yourself with him." Anne said. "He has the audacity to claim I have no heart."

"I have no heart?! I'm not allowed to be annoyed?!" He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder to reveal tears rolling down his cheeks. "It's so damn annoying… watching him die right in front of me… it's so fucking frustrating!" He shouted, grabbing my rock off the ground and tossing it in the puddle that Hanged Man had risen out of, choking a sob as water splashed. Anne quieted at this, looking to the side.

"Mr. Avdol… you're going to wake up. This is just a scratch… this can't be… it was so fast…" Kakyoin clenched his teeth, refusing to accept that Avdol was dead.

Just then, Polnareff turned at the sound of Hol Horse chuckling. "And just like that, a life has ended. You didn't even get to say goodbye, such a shame… but that should be a given." He smirked.

"Polnareff, don't make this mistake again! Don't take revenge at the cost of your life, or someone else's!" Kakyoin cried.

Polnareff furrowed his brows deeply. "Then what am I supposed to do…?"

"You bide your time." Anne was suddenly right next to him, Polnareff jumping a bit in surprise as he looked at her, her stance stoic.

"You expect me to just repress this anger?!" He shouted.

"No. Let it fester. When the time comes, it will bring more satisfaction when your revenge comes to fruition." Anne replied.

"Polnareff… come back slowly. Let's live today and fight another time!" Kakyoin shouted.

"Come on, Polly! Fight like a man!" Hol Horse mocked.

"Son of a bitch… damn it, fine!" Polnareff growled. As he started to head towards a parked truck, he heard a quiet voice.

"Polnareff… Avdol died because of you… your sister died because you weren't there for her… you owe them a great debt. They would both be alive today if it weren't for you. And know this… more around you will die because of your mistakes." Hanged Man spoke. Before Polnareff could do anything rash, Anne grabbed his arm, but Hanged Man was relentless. "Don't worry… I can bring you to them. You will find happiness when you see them in hell. You know… your sister was so cute. Pure… those are the ones I like. The ones that save it for me. I loved ruining her. Listening to her screams. You can ask her to tell you exactly how I felt when you see her."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Polnareff shouted as he summoned Silver Chariot.

"Hol Horse. Kill this fool already."

"With pleasure." He said, firing his gun.

As the bullet soared straight at Polnareff, Sekhmet suddenly appeared, thrusting her left wrist out as the snake bracelet unfurled, shooting through the air and sinking its teeth in Hanged Man's neck. He growled, grabbing the wriggling creature and tearing it away, the snake disappearing and reappearing on Sekhmet's arm as the feline stand took a bullet. Anne winced, holding her stomach as she looked at her hand to see blood. Suddenly, the screech of wheels was heard, Kakyoin grabbing Polnareff and throwing him in the car before grabbing Anne, the three speeding away. Hol Horse hissed, unable to shoot at that far a range as they sped off.

"Anne, are you alright?!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"I'll be fine." She groaned, taking out the bullet and tossing it out the window.

A few moments of silence passed. "I'm sorry." Polnareff said. "I put avenging my sister before my own life. It may be too late, but… now I understand what Avdol was trying to say. I will not let his death be in vain. I will fight to survive." He glanced back at Anne. For the first time, he felt his opinion of her change for the better. Maybe there were things he could learn from her… like he should have learned from Avdol. Despite saying what he said and acting as he did, she still tried to help him.

"You mean that?" Kakyoin asked.

"Yes… I really understand." Polnareff replied.

Before he could even blink, Kakyoin back elbowed his face hard, worsening the injury to his face Anne had inflicted earlier. "That takes place of my handshake."

"Ugnh… thank… you…" Polnareff whimpered.

"The next time they come after us… we fight them TOGETHER." Kakyoin glanced back at Anne, smirking. Because her mask was on, she simply nodded at him.

Hol Horse seemed to have lost track of his partner, shrugging as he wandered aimlessly down the street. Unknowingly, his accomplice, whose name was simply J. Geil, watched the car speed off from the shadows. Could he pursue them, even from so far away? Absolutely. Plenty of places to hide… in one of the car mirrors, the windows, the windshield… it would be so easy to make them lose control of the vehicle and crash, incapacitating them for long enough to finish them off. He would have found pleasure fulfilling his promise to send Polnareff to hell to join his sister and now, his friend, Muhammad Avdol. And he would have done it without a second thought… if the thought of an even greater pleasure hadn't come to mind.

He may have been sick and twisted, but his eyes and ears worked just fine. He knew of Polnareff already of course… and with his alliance to Dio along with his mother, he was also well aware of Avdol, who he had eliminated much to his satisfaction, and the pair of Joestars. He wasn't familiar with… whoever that red head was, he could care less about him.

It was the one in the mask. The voice, the body shape that he observed even if it was concealed… it screamed femininity to him.

He did love the sound of a woman screaming… especially when they screamed for him.

The more he thought of her, what could be hiding, it was like a child wanting so badly to see what was hiding underneath the wrapping paper. He imagined himself tearing away that mask, that cloak, so eager to see what it revealed. But he didn't want it to remain a thought… he wanted to make it reality.

So rather than going with his original plan to attack them in the car, he would let them flee like vermin for now. Despite Dio's orders, he had his own needs to fulfill. He was going to have some fun first. Dio would have to understand… he took down Avdol, now he was going to reward himself. He slipped through the shadows, following the tire tracks to see what direction they had gone in. He would wait a while, but not for too long… when he wanted something, no one and nothing stopped him from getting it… not even the concept of moral decency.

That night, Anne stopped outside of Joseph's room at the hotel they were staying at. She sighed lightly, gently knocking on his door. When granted entrance, he looked up as she closed the door behind her. "I do not mean to disturb you, I... wish to offer my condolences. I am aware that Mr. Avdol was a close friend to you."

Joseph nodded. "Thank you, Anne." He replied, exhaling slowly. "It's still hard to take in. Unfortunately, it's not the first time I allowed someone close to me to sacrifice their life." He looked down at a necklace he was wearing, which appeared to be somewhat of a ruby amulet.

"Perhaps it is your turn to tell the story." Anne said, sitting beside him.

"This belonged to a friend from the old days... what I would call my prime." Joseph chuckled a bit. "Cesar Zeppeli. Our grandfathers were allies, but we were not so friendly with one another. We butt heads quite a bit, but when it came down to it, we really did care for one another." He sighed. "I told him not to go into the old mansion where we were, I was helping my mother at the time hunt down and destroy the Pillar Men."

"The ancient vampires you mentioned?" Anne asked.

"Yes. He ran inside so recklessly, and... believe it or not... the ceiling caved in." Joseph forced a chuckle, shaking his head. "Funny... how things can be so coincidental. This necklace was his."

Anne held the ruby on her fingertips, observing it. "Indeed..." She glanced up at him. "Perhaps our lives are not so different."

"They are certainly full or triumph and loss." He said. "I hardly believed your story when you told it. I wonder what other things we may have in common."

Anne placed her hand back at her side. "Joseph... I hope you know, that... despite our differences, Avdol's and mine... I did what I could to save him. I truly mean that. It... it just happened so fast-"

"I know that you did your best, and that you didn't hate him. You don't have to explain that. I know that Polnareff is still not very fond of you, but don't think that we all feel the same as-"

"I know you don't." She said. "I'm not going to allow his words to bother me anymore. We've already made too many mistakes from sacrificing rationality for emotion." She straightened up a bit, Joseph noticing her jaw tighten. "I will assist you in avenging his death, Joseph, but not at the cost of any more lives."

He smiled a bit, patting her shoulder gently. "I'm glad you're here, Anne. I know your heart is in the right place."

She nodded. "Thank you." She then rose to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, now that night has fallen, I'm going to feed. We passed a hospital a short way back so I'm going to make a quick trip."

"Just don't stay out too long... Hol Horse and his accomplice are still out there, I don't want you running into them, especially by yourself."

Anne smirked. She appreciated that already, Joseph was already looking out for her. She couldn't remember the last time anyone looked out for her well-being; it was a nice feeling. "I'll try to make haste." She replied. "Have a good night, Joseph." She said before heading out of the room.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin sighed as he heard shuffling footsteps pacing past his door for the umpteenth time. He kicked off his sheets, getting up to fly the door open. He stared flatly as Polnareff jumped a bit at the sudden action, stopping in his tracks.

"What in the hell are you doing out here?" He asked.

"Ugh... I'm restless. I can't even sit down." He sighed.

"Well making the rest of us restless isn't going to help anyone. Thankfully you got me instead of Jotaro or he'd be kicking your ass by now." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look... we all dealt with a lot of intensity today. The best thing you can do right now is try to clear your head."

"Okay..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Goodnight, Noriaki."

"Goodnight, Jean." He said before closing his door, flopping onto his bed.

Polnareff did the same in his room, staring at the ceiling. Flashbacks from that day sped through his mind, making him dizzy. Why in the hell did everyone around him die? In that moment earlier that day, he hated getting in Avdol's face, he hated being bitter. He wouldn't have to be if everyone would just see that he DID have what it took to hold his own.

But the more he tried to prove it, the more he ended up disproving it.

He had failed today. He failed to avenge his sister, and he failed to do what was right for his friends. Avdol was dead because of his actions, Joseph had lost his best friend, Jotaro and Noriaki had been compromised-

And then there was Anne.

He took a moment to think about how she fit into that whole sequence. Despite having said the things he said, she still tried to help him. She could have just left him to suffer whatever fate would have awaited him.

Instead, she took a bullet for him.

Granted, she was a vampire, she would have lived anyway. But... maybe that wasn't the point. Despite Avdol's disliking towards her, he found the will to apologize for doing so strictly on the basis that she was a vampire, and nothing more. She had already helped them out of a few jams, and aside from being a vampire, offered no solid evidence that she was deceiving them in any way. Sometimes, it felt that some of the others even forgot that she was a feared creature of the night.

Perhaps it was, as Polnareff finally admitted to himself in that moment, because there were times that she didn't act like one.

He sighed. He had already made enough mistakes, some of which he could not make amends for now. He didn't have to make the same mistakes. He could at least honor Avdol by heeding his words and lessons he tried to benefit him with... as not just a comrade, but as a friend. With his mind made up, Polnareff rose, knowing exactly what he was going to do first.

He was going to apologize to Anne.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And that will be all for today. For those of you who have not seen the series, I'm sure you're all a bit shocked right now. Despite Avdol's passing, this group still has plenty of fight in them, and they will certainly need it! Will Polnareff get on good terms with Anne in the meantime, and find a way to defeat J and Hol Horse? Find out next time, and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts! Thanks again!**


	7. The Cost of Revenge: Part Two

**Good afternoon, readers! Welcome back to another update! Today, we're going to be diving into the conclusion of the standoff between our heroes against J. Geil and Hol Horse. Will they get away with murder once again, or will they be defeated? Those of you who have seen the series know the answer, but it may not be exactly how you remember it with Anne in the mix! As always, thank you again to those who are supporting this story, please enjoy this update!**

* * *

During that time, Anne had finished feeding, heading back to the hotel. As she was making her way back, she slowed to a stop, glancing at the ground. She noticed a few stagnant puddles scattered about here and there, narrowing her eyes as she looked around. She sensed something was amiss, attempting from this point on to tread near dryer ground.

She finally reached the hotel, going back into her room. She dabbed her mouth, tossing her cloak on the bed and allowed her blonde curls to cascade to her mid back as she undid her up do. She locked the windows and her door and drew the curtains, sighing as she drew a bath for herself. She slowly dipped her feet in the warm water, sinking in as she cleaned herself before resting her head back, closing her eyes. It had been a stressful day, and even vampires needed to decompress. She smiled lightly to herself as she allowed her mind to wander, the steam rising from the water enveloping her. It was a nice feeling, being embraced by warmth instead from lack thereof.

Outside her room, Polnareff exhaled sharply as he cracked his neck a bit. "Okay. I'm just going to say I want to talk. No, she might think I want to lecture her or something... I just want to apologize. I was a real horse's ass and I think we can do better than that. No... I can do better than that, oui... I can tell her she is a great person... no, that sounds too fake... that I would like to know what kind of person she-... no, that's a pickup line... damn it, why is this so hard?"

As this was happening, Anne continued to recline in the bath. She shifted a bit, making the water ripple gently. Her porcelain skin glistened, her chest slowly rising and falling. As the water rippled, the color began to change, something beginning to emerge slowly, silently, in the mirror's reflection of the bath mounted by the sink. One hand reached up to hold onto an edge of the bath, then the other. Not a sound was made, the form beginning to rise until it hovered over Anne, staring down at her. Anne felt a sudden chill, furrowing a brow. She cracked an eye open, wondering if there was a draft creeping in from somewhere in the room.

She did not expect to see that the Hanged Man was what had crept in, seeing him only in the mirror, invisible in the physical space.

Before she could even scream in reaction to seeing the stand was hovering right over her, it's back to the mirror, the gentle ripple of the water quickly turned to chaotic churning as Anne struggled against it. She felt its hands shove her under the water, muffling her screaming. Hanged Man had unlocked the window before teleporting to the bathtub, allowing J to slip in, smirking as he looked down at her. Anne saw the menacing figure through the moving water she was being pinned in, struggling to get a clear look at his face. Mustering up her strength, she pushed forward, gasping for air as she took the few precious moments she had to get a good look at the hideous man, her eyes darting down to see he indeed possessed two right hands. She clenched her jaw, seeing the deep scratches in his face from when Sekhmet inflicted the wound on Hanged Man earlier that day. Before she could think any further, she was shoved back down into the water, being held down.

Outside, Polnareff jumped a bit when he heard a thud from inside Anne's apartment. "Anne?" He called, knocking on the door with his knuckle. "Are you okay? I- It's Jean, I... I wanted to apologize... um... can I come in?"

J yanked Anne up by her hair, Hanged man holding a knife to her throat. "You're going to tell him everything is fine and get him to leave. If you play like a good girl, maybe I'll let you live."

Anne's eyes were fiery, blazing with white hot anger as she growled lowly. "I'm going to have a hell of a time killing you." She said lowly.

"Go ahead, try to use your stand. I can easily slit all your friend's throats in their sleep. I could easily slit his throat standing outside. None of them would see it coming, just like you didn't see it coming. Either way, I'm going to have my way with you. I knew there was something delicious hiding under that mask."

J yanked her up once again by her hair, dragging her across the room until she was a few inches from the door. She shot him a look, water dripping onto the carpet as she looked at the door. "What is it, Jean?"

"Oh, Anne, um... I wanted to just talk- I mean, apologize... about the things I said." Polnareff rubbed his neck.

"I see... um... I appreciate the gesture..." She shot J a look when she felt Hanged Man nudge her. "I'm... feeling tired. Shall we discuss this further tomorrow?"

"Well... I just feel so... restless. I feel like until I do something to make things better, I'm not going to be able to get a wink of sleep. Avdol was a wise and caring man and I just... I fucked up. I don't want to do the same with anyone else. I feel it's important that we get on better terms like Avdol did right before..."

Anne rolled her eyes as her brows furrowed, grimacing at J licking his lips as he stared at her. "That's wonderful, um... I think I should say goodnight, so... bonne nuit."

Polnareff blinked, not being able to help but smile at that. "Well, bonne nuit à toi aussi." He said. Maybe Anne wasn't so bad after all. He was about to turn away when he heard her say something else through the door.

"Il y a quelqu'un dans ma chambre. Jean, le pendu- ...!" Before she could finish, another thud was heard. Polnareff whirled around, quickly trying to comprehend the words he heard.

"Anne?! Anne!" He shouted, sending his foot right into the door to kick it open. When he saw who was inside, he clenched his teeth as rage quickly built up in his chest. "You bastard!" He shouted, summoning silver Chariot. Forced to combat him, J wasn't able to place his full focus on Anne as he held her tightly. Anne opened her mouth wide, sinking her teeth into his wrist. J screamed, Anne able to make her escape.

"Sekhmet-!" She shouted, summoning her stand. "Dark Sandstorm!"

J quickly realized he was outnumbered. Despite his desire to have his way with Anne, he knew that wasn't possible right now. He ran into the bathroom, quickly hopping out the window as he dodged attacks from the pair of stands pursuing him. When he landed on his feet, he ran into the night. Polnareff ran to the window, his eyes piercing the darkness like daggers.

"I will get you! Go ahead and run, you can't hide forever, you cowardly son of a bitch!"

"Jean. You're going to wake the entire town." Anne said as she hastily grabbed a towel. Polnareff turned to look at her as she did this only to quickly realize she was naked, whirling back around and clearing his throat. "I'm covered now." She said. When he turned again, he approached her.

"Anne... are you hurt, did he-"

"No. He didn't." She said, going over to her things to get out a bathrobe. Footsteps were heard from down the hall as Joseph, Kakyoin and Jotaro bursting into the room.

"Anne, we heard some commotion, is everything-" Joseph stopped dead in his tracks, blinking. Jotaro rolled his eyes upon seeing Polnareff standing next to Anne wearing only a towel, tugging on the edge of his cap.

"Good grief." He muttered.

"Oh my God!" Joseph exclaimed. "P- Polnareff- why are you in here?!"

"What do you mean?! Why are YOU in here?!" The Frenchman threw his arms up.

"You can't just barge into a lady's room when she's- e- everyone out in the hallway now!" Joseph exclaimed while covering his eyes, a deep blush in his features. Kakyoin was quiet, trying his hardest to just look at the floor as his cheeks quickly turned red as well.

Outside, while Anne was in her room getting dressed, Jotaro sighed. "I know all that noise wasn't just from you two. What happened?"

"Look, all I was doing was going to see her so I could apologize for what I said to her today... but she was being held hostage and she tried to tell me that. So... I just burst in, and that pervert was in there. I swear, I had no idea that she was-"

"Okay, I get it." Jotaro cut him off. Just then, Anne emerged from her room, this time in a nightgown and bathrobe.

"Now we can all speak civilly again." She said, the men clearing their throats a bit. "Allow me to just say that I'm glad that Jean was outside my door when he was... not sure how much French our twisted friend understands but I was able to say enough for him to understand what was going on."

"Are you alright?" Kakyoin asked.

"A bit shaken, but fine otherwise." She sighed. "And here I thought I was going to have a relaxing evening for once."

"He may attack us again. He can come out of nowhere with his stand, so we're all in great danger now." Joseph warned.

"Yes... however, we now have one advantage that he may not be aware of. Jean, you may be pleased to know that he can indeed run, but he can no longer hide." Anne said.

"Why?" Polnareff tilted his head.

"I bit him. Despite how disgusting it was for any part of him to pass my lips, it will benefit us. It wasn't much, but I took just enough blood to where I can, from a distance, track him. I can tell if he is hiding somewhere in the area and will better help us to eliminate him."

The men glanced at one another. "How... resourceful." Kakyoin said.

"That's great for then, but what are we supposed to do the rest of tonight?" Jotaro asked.

Anne pursed her lip. "We all stay in one room."

Joseph choked. "Wh- What?!"

"The room we choose, we must cover up anything reflective. If we can get at least five solid hours, we should be golden." Anne said, leaving the others stunned as she gathered her things. After an awkward conversation, they decided to camp out in Jotaro's room. They let Anne take the bed, the rest of them sleeping on the floor. Kakyoin stared at the ceiling as they all had to listen to Joseph snoring.

"What're you thinking about?" Polnareff whispered.

"Nothing really. You?"

"... how Anne can sleep with all that snoring." Polnareff said, rubbing his face.

Jotaro rolled his eyes, nudging Joseph's back with his foot to roll him over, quieting the snoring a bit. "Good grief..." He sighed, pulling his cap over his eyes.

"Hey Noriaki... I just wanted to thank you." Polnareff said.

"For what?"

"For giving me another chance... and for helping me do the right thing."

"What do you mean?"

"If you hadn't said what you said today, I wouldn't have went to apologize to Anne, and..." He glanced up at her, Kakyoin doing the same.

"You made that decision, not me." He replied.

"Do you think... Avdol would have been proud?"

"... I think so." Kakyoin replied.

Silence passed between them for some time. "Noriaki?"

A sigh. "Yes, Jean?"

"I was wondering, um... do you like-"

"Both of you shut up and go to sleep." Jotaro hissed without even removing his cap. The two fell silent, deciding it was best to do what Jotaro had asked of them.

The next morning, they all awoke unscathed and better rested, but wasted no time preparing for what they knew they had to do.

"Jotaro. You come with me so we can track down Hol Horse." Joseph said, making Jotaro raise a brow.

"Very well. I shall join Jean and Noriaki in our own search. Where shall we meet up?"

After finishing their discussion, they all went on their own way. Anne walked in between Kakyoin and Polnareff, their eyes scanning the area and the people they passed. Despite their focus, they both seemed a bit distracted by something indefinite.

"Anything?" Kakyoin glanced at Anne.

"Nothing yet." She replied. "Nothing strong, that is." She stopped then, the pair of young men halting. "We're going the wrong way. We should go to the edge of town. See that clearing in the distance? Seems like a shady area for someone to lurk about. There's too many people about for him to strike."

"If you say so." Kakyoin said, doing what she suggested.

As they made their way towards the clearing, Anne stopped. "He's here. I can smell him."

"Alright, then let's get this bastard-!" Polnareff said before Anne held her arm out to stop him.

"We cannot be rash about this." Anne said.

"Anne, the man killed my sister, I'm not just going to wait around and-"

"You have already seen the price to be paid for being rash, so I suggest you exercise some self control!" She exclaimed.

Polnareff exhaled sharply. "Fine."

Just then, they heard the sound of pinging on the ground by their feet. Anne looked down to see that Polnareff's pocket had been torn, gold coins falling out. She tilted her head as he growled, cursing to himself as he tried to collect them as it attracted nearby beggars. A voice cried then.

"Money! They wish to give you money!"

Anne whirled around. "Anne, what is it?" Kakyoin asked.

"That was him. Damn it, these people are a diversion!" She shouted. "Look for him!"

As the two looked around, Polnareff tried to ward off the beggars, shoving his coins into another pocket. When he and Anne whirled around at the same time, it was for a moment, but she caught something.

"Damn it, buzz off!" He shouted at the beggars.

"Jean. Turn around." Anne said.

"What, do I have something on-" He stopped when she took his shoulders, pulling him forward and tilting his face down a bit.

"Your eyes…" She whispered.

Polnareff blinked before chuckling. "Well, I have been told that they're pretty nice to look at, but it's nice to hear from-"

"No you idiot, your eyes! It's a reflection! He attracted these people because all their eyes will-" She gasped when blood spouted from her back, Hanged Man shooting out to stab her.

"Anne!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Kuu kuu kuu!" Laughter was heard from just past the crowd as Anne's wound deepened. "So many reflections, so many ways to kill you all! Now, die!"

"You son of a bitch!" Polnareff screamed.

Anne fell to her knees, Kakyoin clenching his teeth. She extended her hand, enclosing something in it. Just then, she tossed it in the air, and the chaotic swell of voices stopped as the shimmering object ascended. Kakyoin's eyes widened.

"They're all staring at that coin… their eyes!" He smirked then, turning to the horrid looking man a short distance away. "Looks like we've got you all figured out. Polnareff!" He called, the Frenchman looking at him. "When avenging someone, you don't say 'son of a bitch…' what you should say, is 'I am Noriaki Kakyoin! To quell the rage of my best friend, so his sister's soul may be at peace, and because this woman whom I care for was attacked in such a vile manner… you are going to pay!'" He smirked as he tossed another coin in the air. Polnareff summoned Silver Chariot as Hanged Man emerged, slicing his head clean in half. As a result, the same happened to J as he whirled around- and just like that, he was dead in nearly an instant. This, however, was not satisfying enough for Polnareff.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, I'm going to turn you into a fucking pin cushion!" He growled, stabbing him over and over again. The small amount of life J retained after the first major attack was extinguished.

"Jean." Anne said after some time.

"What?" Polnareff snapped as he turned, looking at her. He watched her take a dagger out of the folds of her cloak.

"You missed a spot." She said before flicking the dagger at what seemed to be faster than the speed of light, the sharp object darting through the space between Polnareff's legs before embedding right into J's crotch. "Sweet dreams." She said with a curled lip at the corpse. "And good riddance." Kakyoin couldn't help but wince, and Polnareff's brows raised for a moment. They then both smirked lightly at her.

"Works for me. I'll leave the rest up to the devil." He nodded. "Anne… I know I already said this, but being you were being held hostage at that point… I was wrong. I… I believe everything you said. No one like you could ever work for Dio. Even after how I treated you, you wanted to see me avenge my sister and do what I set out to do. Anne, in return, I will help you avenge your family. I will make sure that Dio pays for ever messing with you! That's a promise!"

Anne smiled lightly under her mask. "I accept your apology. Maybe there is a brain under all that hair after all." She chuckled, and surprisingly, Polnareff did also.

"Hey." Kakyoin said. "We should see if the Jostars managed to find Hol Horse."

"Well, that's one thing we agree on, partner!" They turned to see Hol Horse approaching them, chuckling lowly. He twirled his gun in his hand, pointing it at them.

"Then it seems we have our answer then." Anne shrugged. "We'll leave the Joestars to it then."

"Haha, hey! Why're you walking away, pretty lady? Maybe you aren't pretty at all, huh? Or maybe it's because you know you can't beat us, right, J?" Hol Horse laughed. "You should be running for your life!" Anne stopped, slowly looking at him. Overhead, the bright sun began to be obscured by clouds rolling in. Kakyoin looked up at them briefly as he and Polnareff turned around also. "Well, doesn't matter… I caught up to you folks, might as well fight a little, huh? Come on, show some bravery!" He said, scuffing his foot as pieces of glass scattered about.

Anne shrugged once more. "Very well." She took a step closer.

Thunder began to rumble as it began to rain. Hol Horse began to laugh. "Hehe, this is great! You group of girls came at a perfect time! Come on J, let's bury these pansies!" He shouted, his eyes shifting to and fro, expecting his comrade to slice them to bits.

His smile waned when nothing happened.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Anne asked.

"Hey, J! J. Geil, get your ass out here! Are you listening to me?!"

"He can't hear you… from hell!" Polnareff growled.

"Pfft, stop messing around, even I couldn't dream of beating him! You expect me to believe that you could?" The sky darkened, and Anne continued to approach him slowly.

"Well then… if he's not expired for everyone to see…" She was a foot from him now. "… then where is he?" Hol Horse couldn't maintain his waning arrogance, his brows furrowing. "You don't see him, do you?" She tilted her head.

"Y- You're bluffing, joking!" Hol's voice cracked.

"You were wondering what I looked like, weren't you?" Anne asked, whipping off her mask and hood, her hair falling to frame her face. Thunder rumbled.

"Wh- Why… do I feel so cold all of a sudden… this… this feeling… it feels… familiar…" Hol Horse sputtered. Anne leaned in, whispering to him as a chill ran down his spine, her eyes piercing right through his soul.

"You will be the one running away."

When he reeled back, he screamed as she hissed, bearing her fangs. Sekhmet emerged, doing the same as her dark aura enveloped them. Hol Horse turned to run, only to be sent flying back as he was impacted. He landed harshly, grunting as he sat up to see that Jotaro had been the one to land the blow, he and Joseph having been standing behind him.

"About time you guys got here!" Polnareff laughed as Anne smirked, she and Jotaro exchanging a nod.

"We found Avdol's body." Joseph explained. "We gave him a proper burial."

"I see." Anne pursed her lip. "Shall we do the same with his killer?" She asked, the five slowly approaching Hol Horse as he scrambled back in fear.

"P- Please, don't kill me!"

"Very well… perhaps I'll bleed you dry first… it's been a while since I had American." She smirked darkly.

"Screw the formalities, this guy killed Avdol, he's getting the death penalty!" Polnareff shouted.

He was about to attack when suddenly, out of nowhere, a young Indian woman threw herself on the cowboy to shield him.

"No! Hol Horse, you must run!" The young woman cried.

"What the- who is this chick?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Hol Horse, you must run and get to safety, I can't bear to lose you! Please, you have to hurry!" She cried.

"Jotaro, Kakyoin, don't him get away- hey!" Polnareff shouted as Hol Horse scrambled, the woman hugging her arms around one of Polnareff's to hold him back.

"Thank you, my beauty!" Hol Horse shouted as he mounted a horse. "I will live on because of your good intentions! I will love you forever!" He said before speeding off.

"No, get back here, damn it! Ow, let go of me!" Polnareff shouted.

"Let him run with his tail tucked. We won't be seeing him for a while." Anne said.

"Anne is right, he has no intention of fighting us. Besides, even though Avdol is gone… we have to keep moving. It's been over two weeks since we left Japan." Joseph said.

"Alright then, let's go!" Polnareff exclaimed after the woman finally let him go, the group moving out. He hadn't gotten quite a good look at her, otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to proceed.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **I'll leave you all here for now, readers! I'm sure this was satisfying for many of you, seeing Polnareff finally attaining the revenge he sought out. He's made some progress, but will that all unravel in the next chapter? More conflicts, struggles and triumphs to come, so stay tuned for the next update! Thank you all again for reading and leave your thoughts in a review of what you thought of some of the changes seen in the chapter versus the original. Have a pleasant rest of your weekend and see you next time!**


	8. A Woman Scorned: Part One

**Good evening, readers! I am back sooner than expected- I had a snow day today, so Revolver and I thought it was and good idea to post a chapter for you! We left off on an intense showdown last time, but what will this chapter bring? Jojo fans, no spoiling! So, I will leave you all to it! Please enjoy as always and thank you for continuing to read the latest updates!**

* * *

As Kakyoin inspected what was thought to be a bug bite on Joseph's arm, Anne walked beside Polnareff a bit. "How do you feel?"

"Huh? I feel alright, I guess." He replied.

"Just… alright?" Anne pondered aloud.

"Trust me, we'll take 'just alright.'" Jotaro said as he strode ahead of them, Polnareff nudging him jokingly as he did so.

"Jean, you just avenged your sister's death… doesn't that… evoke something? A strong emotion, or…?"

He thought a moment. "Well… I feel proud that I was able to defend her honor… and relieved because he can't hurt anyone else… I guess it's a good feeling, but, I can't say it's happy. Killing her murderer doesn't bring her back… but now she can live peacefully in the afterlife."

"… No, it wouldn't." Anne said quietly. "What was her name?"

"My sister's? It was Sherry."

"Sherry. A beautiful name. I have a feeling she was a beautiful person too."

"She was, but… how do you figure?"

"Because she has a good brother." Anne glanced up at him, smiling lightly. Polnareff returned the gesture. He cleared his throat, about to say something to her.

"We should find a bus. The next city over is too far a walk according to Joseph's map." Kakyoin said then, getting their attention. When Anne turned, she narrowed her eyes a bit when she noticed the young Indian woman not far behind them.

"Why is she following us?" Anne asked.

"Don't know, but she better not annoy me." Jotaro said. "We've had enough annoying additions as it is."

"You'd better not be implying me or I may make you my next meal." Anne raised a brow. Polnareff and Kakyoin exchanged looks, raising a brow. Jotaro smirked lightly.

"Fine. I'll make an exception for you." He said.

"But in all seriousness, we should be wary of her." Anne said as the woman seemed to watch them before resting her eyes on Polnareff. He stared back at her, looking into her soft, amber colored eyes. He was about to agree with Anne, but the moment he looked at her, his expression changed, as if someone flipped a switch.

"Uh… why's that?" He asked.

"Why? Because she was assisting the enemy. She practically threw her entire weight on your arm just so Hol Horse could get away." Anne said. "Isn't that obvious?"

"Come now, I was just beginning to think you had a heart… look at her."

"I am Jean, and looks can be deceiving." She replied. She looked from him to the woman, slowly letting her head fall back. "Oh, you cannot be this dense."

"What do you think, Mr. Joestar? I would feel terrible leaving an innocent woman alone out here by herself." Polnareff asked.

"She could have family nearby. Let's just find a bus and hightail it." Jotaro said. "And I'm gonna say what Anne's thinking. Stop gawking."

"Anne has a point." Kakyoin said, taking a step closer to the blonde. "We have no idea who she is. She was obviously very close to Hol Horse, enough to risk her life… it's suspicious."

"Well that's because Hol Horse is nothing but a scoundrel! Playing with a beautiful woman's heart like that. She isn't suspicious, she's sidelined!"

"Alright, alright." Joseph sighed, wanting to just end the bickering. "If she doesn't cause trouble, she can stay with-"

"Fantastique! I'll go extend the offer!" Polnareff beamed, practically skipping over to talk to the woman. Anne huffed when he returned with her. "Everyone, this is Nena. She's going to come on the bus with us and she's going to know what having REAL friends is like."

"Just be quieter about it. Let's go." Jotaro said. They found a bus stop, purchasing a ticket to the nearest city of Varanasi- a thirteen hour drive from where they were.

Once boarded, Jotaro stared out the window, sighing when he felt the seat shift upon his grandfather sitting next to him. "Plenty of room." He said barely above a mutter.

"Well, it's a long trip, I figure you might need someone to talk to." Joseph replied.

Jotaro looked over, raising a brow. "Have you learned anything about me in the last two weeks?"

"Not really… and as your grandfather, I… I'm sorry I don't." He bowed his head a bit. "I've occupied my life with many exciting adventures and things, but… I should have been there more for you. Your father works hard. You could have used someone to help you growing up."

"I don't need any help."

"That's exactly why you need it." Joseph said. "No one can do everything on their own. I was like you once, I thought I was invincible. If I didn't have the help I had, me, the whole world, would have suffered."

"Good for you. I'm not you." Jotaro said.

"Jotaro… can't you at least… tell me about yourself? If… if you're upset with me, I-"

"I'm not upset with you. I'm annoyed right now. I don't need to be lectured." He said, looking out the window without another word. Joseph furrowed his brows, turning to look ahead of him as he sighed lightly.

"Alright, then." He finally resigned.

Meanwhile, each time Anne glanced back at Polnareff talking to Nena over his seat, she exhaled sharply.

"Just leave them." Kakyoin said to her quietly. "I don't think she's going to do anything. Let Jean blab his head off to her."

"I don't trust her." Anne insisted. "And apparently Jean likes to take one step forward and two steps back. He finally pulled his head out of his rear end only to entertain the other portion of his lower body." She said as Kakyoin cleared his throat.

"She'll probably go off on her own once we reach Varanasi. I'm sure that Hol Horse manipulated her to do his bidding."

"A mind easily swayed is a mind easily corruptible. Guilty all the same." Anne replied.

"Do you think that of me? Of Polnareff?" Kakyoin looked at her, and Anne's face softened.

"You were both forced against your will. That is a different circumstance than doing so willingly. Surely you know I don't think so lowly of you."

"No… I suppose I should." He replied, glancing at her a moment. "Night is falling. At least you can keep your mask off a while."

"Yes. It is a small but appreciated relief." She said.

"Listen, I normally don't tell people what to do, but… you look smart, and beautiful… that's why I'm saying this. Hol Horse… he's a bad man. He only used you, he tricked you. What I mean is… it's easy to do this, to be blind to that when you're in love." Polnareff said to Nena.

"Jean, what do you know about love?" Anne asked, turning around to look at him. Nena casually glanced at her.

"Please, mademoiselle, I know plenty about love. Nena will thank me later when she finds herself a lucky guy." Polnareff said.

"I highly doubt she needs your help finding men." Anne said with a sarcastic tone.

"Anne." Kakyoin said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you know Nena? I happen to think she is a fine lady."

Anne forced a laugh. "You have no idea who she is either!"

"But I will because I actually talk to people." Polnareff made a face.

"Very mature of you." She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine, so what do YOU know of true love?" He asked.

"Anne, don't provoke him." Kakyoin said.

"For one thing, it's more than just having a pretty face." Anne said.

"Hol Horse did care for me." Nena suddenly said. "But I see now… he was greatly misguided."

Polnareff smirked. "Well Anne, I guess you're right. She IS more than just a pretty face. She's smart, just like I said."

"Mr. Polnareff… thank you for your kindness." Nena smiled ever so slightly.

"You can call me Jean, mademoiselle." He leaned on the back of his seat, smiling. "So, what do you like to do, Nena?"

Anne turned around, huffing. "Oblivious idiot."

"Just let him be. Like I said, she isn't going to do anything to us." Kakyoin sighed lightly.

Sometime later, they stopped briefly to eat before reboarding the bus. Anne froze a moment when she saw Nena sit with Polnareff, the young man resting an arm on the back of the seat. She shook her head as she sat back down.

"Anne… what's really bothering you?" Kakyoin asked.

"The fact that he's willing to trust anyone. It could put the rest of us in danger." She replied. "It's also bad enough considering he and I have not always seen eye to eye on most things. This woman is going to make for uncomfortable situations and we can do fine with that on our own."

"Anne… I know how much you care for hi-… for us. We can handle ourselves." He smiled lightly.

"You can handle your own. Jotaro and Joseph can. He… doesn't follow rationality. He follows his emotions. One moment he's acting mature by some miracle and the next he's completely forgotten everything he learned. He's like a child."

"Yes… this is true." He leaned back in his seat. Several moments of silence passed between them.

"Do you miss home?" Anne asked suddenly.

"Not really. I… enjoy being with people who understand me." He replied.

"Understand you?" Anne tilted her head.

"… didn't really have friends growing up."

"That's a shame. A flaw on their part, not yours."

"Do you think so?" He asked.

"I would have appreciated having you as a friend over the years." Anne said.

A pause. "Anne… would you consider having a family again?"

She pursed her lip in thought. "Noriaki… for a long time, I have resented my failures. I… have lost confidence in my ability to protect loved ones. Even being what I am… even if I had the chance… I've already experienced losing my parents… my brother… my lover… I couldn't imagine having a child, a… living part of myself… losing that…" She glanced up at where Joseph was sitting. "That's why I'm here, Noriaki. I don't want him to experience that pain."

"That's very noble of you, Anne." He replied upon also glancing at him. "But… you deserve to be happy too."

"Happiness… such a fleeting thing for me. You need to think of that for yourself."

"Everything I need is right here." He said, looking at her. "Right on this bus, that is."

Anne simply nodded once. A few hours later, Kakyoin dozed off, slumping a bit in his seat. Anne glanced over, Polnareff and Nena still speaking quietly. Joseph snored lightly up front as Jotaro slept, as per usual, with his cap pulled over his face. Her gaze traveled back when she felt eyes on her, noticing Nena staring out of the corners of her eyes at her as her arm slowly snaked around Polnareff's. She was about to inhale sharply when she felt something against her shoulder, Kakyoin slumping her way. Anne changed her focus to him, clearing her throat as she instinctively placed an arm around his shoulders. She didn't completely pinpoint the defining reason for doing this… but it had been quite some time since she had any comforting physical contact with someone. She closed her eyes for a moment, able to sense his heartbeat. She turned her head, looking out into the night. She tuned out the whispers from across the aisle, resigning to take this time to rest.

* * *

A scream reverberated through the corridors, a nearby stray cat shrieking in terror as it scrambled away. The sound of an echoing walking stick clicked in quick succession each time it made contact with the ground until its bearer fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

"My son… my son is dead!" Enyaba wailed, deep wounds appearing on her skin. "The connection we share through blood… I know his life has been taken!" She hissed as she clenched her fists, bearing hands similar to that of her son's. "So this is what they did to you… all these horrible injuries… oh how you suffered! My good son… serving Lord Dio and fighting for him with unquestioning loyalty… a pillar for morality, of honor! They must have tricked him somehow… they must have used some dirty, dirty trick! Curse them all, curse them and twist them and kill them dead!" She screamed. "These holes… these are from a blade… a rapier… the Silver Chariot! That buffoon of a man! I'll kill that Polnareff myself, he did this, he will-" She stopped then, her breath hitching as she looked down at her arm. "No… this is no blade… come now my son, show me… show me your secret…" Her eyes widened when small puncture wounds appeared on her forearm. Her eyes rolled up for a moment, muttering whispers to herself before they popped open. "It cannot be… I must see him… I must tell Lord Dio!" She exclaimed, hobbling down the corridor.

In the darkness barely dispelled by candlelight, Dio growled lowly as he rutted yet another nameless woman he managed to seduce. Her sighing and moaning reverberated in the low lit space, her back arching sharply as she emitted a choked cry. Her whole body trembled as she climaxed, Dio's fangs glistening. "So easy… always so easy." He dug his fingers into her neck, sighing as he began to drain her blood. "They always taste the best when they have the most adrenaline, the most ecstasy coursing through their veins… like seasoning to the most tender of meats." He withdrew his fingers, the nameless woman laying unmoving under him. He nudged her off the bed, her body landing on the floor with a thud as Dio reclined, licking his fingers before threading them through his blonde locks of hair. He barely turned his head when he heard the sound of Enyaba approaching, the old hag trying to catch her breath as she made her way into his chambers with a sense of urgency, disturbing the gentle flow of wisps from the burning candles and incense dancing in the air.

"My Lord Dio, please forgive my unannounced intrusion…" She wobbled a bit in an attempt to kneel humbly as he remained in his reclined position. "It is dire that I report a disturbing discovery to you!"

Dio scoffed. "If I wished for someone to report to me, I would delegate that myself."

"Please Lord Dio, what I have to report is solely for your protection… it seems that they have been keeping a secret assassin of their own from us… one that had a hand with Polnareff in the murder of my son!"

"A true tragedy… yes, he did manage to assist Hol Horse in ending Muhammad Avdol… but the Joestars still live… and until they are eliminated, I will not be satisfied." Dio replied.

"Yes my Lord, yes… I am already suffering for my failure… however, I will not go another moment without telling you what I have sensed." She held up her arm. "This is not a wound inflicted by Silver Chariot… it is not Polnareff who did this to my son."

"And why would this concern me?" Dio asked.

"There is another among them, my Lord… one that has been concealed from you and seeks to do you harm!" Enyaba exclaimed.

"Very well then… what do you know of him?" Dio asked with a hint of skepticism.

"Forgive me, my Lord… but it is not a he… this person is a woman."

"Hm… a woman, you say? Tell me… why should I be threatened by her?" Dio chuckled lightly.

"Because she is no ordinary woman…" Enyaba stepped into the light, holding her arm up to candlelight. "She is not just a stand user… she is not human."

For the first time, Dio sacrificed his comfort as he finally leaned forward, snatching the hag's arm to look at the bite wound. "A vampire… that can only mean…" A flashback of having been tricked by what seemed to be a defiant but helpless young woman appeared in his mind made him clench his teeth.

"You know her… my Lord?" Enyaba asked, smirking.

"What is her relation to the company?" Dio asked.

"She seems to have taken a liking to one of them." Enyaba replied.

"This is my command. Murder this one before her eyes. You bring her to me alive. I shall deal with her myself." Dio growled.

"As you command, my Lord." Enyaba bowed humbly.

"Where are they headed?" Dio asked.

"They are making their way towards western India." She replied.

"Go to Pakistan. You will stop them in their tracks and bring the girl to me." Dio said. As Enyaba took her leave, he curled his lip. "So… you still have not learned your place, have you… I will save your destruction for my own satisfaction. I will reduce you to a helpless, obedient slave, Anne Lennox!" Dio shouted to himself, kicking the body of the woman he had just drained. "I shall ruin you… and never again will you make a mockery of me."

* * *

When sunrise came around, Kakyoin shifted. He blinked his eyes open, seeing everyone else was asleep. Polnareff had his arm around Nena's shoulders now. He breathed out slowly. He was a fast mover, that was certain. He looked over to see Anne's slumbering form, finally noticing her arm around his own shoulders. He straightened up, looking out the window. With the sun coming up, she would need to cover her face. He slowly reached for her mask, about to place it on her face when he hesitated. He observed the features of her face, the soft surface with hard, chiseled bones underneath. It perfectly matched her personality, the kindness with fierceness, love with hatred, pride with regret. Despite being a vampire, he felt she was the most human of the group. His fingers extended, hovering just a hair from her skin. He finally released the breath he had been holding, the hand retracting to place the mask on, hiding away what had such a hold on him. He leaned back, pressing the back of his head against the seat and closing his eyes. When Anne woke hours later, she noticed her mask was already on her face, sitting up straighter to look around.

"What time is it?" She asked no one in particular.

"We have a couple hours left. Sorry, the sun was rising. Didn't want to wake you." Kakyoin replied.

"Hm…? Oh, yes, the mask… thank you." She replied. She leaned forward a bit to look around.

"They're fine." Kakyoin said before she even spoke, causing her to tilt her head at him, resting back against her seat.

They finally reached Varanasi, just in time for breakfast. They got off the bus, the group heading into the town.

"I'll look for my own bite to eat. I'll meet up with you later." Anne said, turning to look for a hospital.

"Hey, grandpa. Your arm doesn't look good." Jotaro said suddenly. "Anne." He called her name. "Take him with you. He should get that bug bite checked out."

Anne raised a brow, looking at it. Nena inhaled sharply, turning to Polnareff. "Jean, let me show you around the city. There's so much I would love for you to see." Just as she hoped, Anne looked at them.

"Let's have a doctor look at this. I'll drop you off and get what I need and then I'll walk back with you." Anne said, Joseph barely having time to say anything.

Kakyoin glanced between the two pairs heading off, standing from his seat. "Let me make sure Joseph-"

"Kakyoin. Come with me. Anne can handle the old man." Jotaro said to him. He noticed he did so with a hint of regret. "She'll be fine. Remember why we're here."

Kakyoin stopped, Jotaro continuing to walk ahead. He caught up to him after a moment. "I know exactly why we're here, Jotaro. Having concern for our friends isn't a distraction if that's what you're implying."

"I'm not implying anything. You're saying that all yourself. Do a better job of convincing yourself."

Kakyoin furrowed his brows. "What is this about, Jotaro?"

"… I need to know that you aren't gonna get caught up in some petty bullshit."

"I'm not getting 'caught up' in anything." Kakyoin insisted.

"Fine." He was quiet for a few moments. "I have something to tell you."

Meanwhile, Anne turned to Joseph. "I'm going to look for the blood supply. I'll come back for you later." She was about to leave.

"Anne…" Joseph said, smiling lightly. "I… I would like to think that we can be like family someday. Jotaro… he may not act like it, but I know he has a good heart."

Anne smiled under her mask. "I know that. And… who says I already don't feel that way?" Joseph chuckled lightly at this as Anne went her own way.

She was able to locate the blood supply quite quickly, taking what she needed before heading back out. As she did, she stopped when she saw a familiar head of silver hair. She narrowed her eyes a bit, heading towards him and Nena.

"Oh, Anne." Nena said. "Does Joseph know you're here?"

"Is Joseph my keeper?" Anne replied, turning to Polnareff. "He's in the hospital's care now. We should take this time to collect any supplies we need. Say goodbye to Nena. We have to make haste."

"Woah, woah… I'm not saying goodbye… she's showing me around this very beautiful city." Polnareff said.

"Jean. We are not here on vacation."

"Look, Joseph's being checked on, it's not like we can do anything anyway." He shrugged. Nena said nothing, looking at Anne.

"Fine. Allow me to join you, then." She said tensely.

"Please do. Jean was just saying how he loves the beauty of this city… how he wouldn't mind living here, even." Nena said, her arm coiled loosely around his as they headed off.

Kakyoin snapped his head up as he sat with Jotaro, his eyes wide in shock. "How is this possible?"

"I don't need to explain the details. He's going to be down for a while, but that's what's going on right now." Jotaro said, Kakyoin sitting down and running a hand through his hair.

"Does anyone else know?" He asked.

"No. Just me and the old man. And now you."

"Anne… we should-"

"'We' aren't saying anything to anyone else. If word gets out, it'll be bad. You know what a big mouth Polnareff is."

"But I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about Anne." Kakyoin stated.

"See can be emotional at times. I'm not putting her on the same level as Polnareff, but she doesn't need to know."

"Jotaro, you can't ask this of me. Anne is-"

"What, Kakyoin? What is she? What is she to you?"

Kakyoin shook his head. "Jotaro, just say what you have to-"

"Stop it. This is something I expect of Polnareff, not you. I'm not gonna dance around the subject again. I'm saying this as a friend. She isn't the central focus here. It's getting annoying."

Kakyoin sighed lightly. "Jotaro… I know that… we're doing this to save your mother. I want to see her restored. But I can't help how I feel. She understands me. We share similar passions. I don't think I can say something as strong as being in love, but I feel something positive since she has joined us. You want me to keep this very important secret. I respect that. Please do the same for me."

Jotaro sighed. "Good grief…"

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Alright, here we are for now! A lot more drama in this chapter. A small break from showdowns and battling for a chapter or two, but that's not always a bad thing! However, now that Dio knows of Anne's presence in the group, will this spell more trouble for the group? Will they be able to move past their own bickering? And what did Jotaro and Kakyoin discuss that was so important? Jojo fans, no spoiling! In the meantime, whether you have seen the series or not, thank you again for reading and please leave your thoughts in a nice review! See you next time and stay tuned for the next update!**


	9. A Woman Scorned: Part Two

**Good afternoon readers, and a Happy St. Patrick's day to all of you! I hope you are enjoying the day! To help celebrate, I am uploading the second part of the last chapter! Will this drama come to a head? Read on, and please enjoy as always!**

* * *

Meanwhile, Anne was walking on the other side of Polnareff, who was completely engrossed in Nena pointing things out here and there, on occasion quickly diverting him towards something. Anne wondered why she was doing this. Was she trying to lose her? It all seemed very suspicious.

"Huh, a lot of police activity today… anyway, Nena… as I was saying, a true man never boasts, he doesn't have to. His strengths show themselves in time. Only losers boast because they have nothing else to back it up. But uh, out of curiosity… next to Hol Horse, what do you think of me? Am I your type?" Polnareff asked, smiling hopefully.

"You are." Nena smiled lightly. "You are very kind, and wise… and handsome."

Anne distracted herself, trying to see if she could determine what the police activity was all about. She couldn't find anything, and kept being drawn back to Nena and Polnareff talking. Why did she care about his idiotic love sickness? If he wanted to make a fool of himself, so be it. But something was rubbing her the wrong way about this.

"Nena, I don't care about your past or who you've been with… we really like each other. That's all that matters." Polnareff smiled at Nena.

"Oh, please!" Anne shouted then. "I've had enough of your sappy act! You've barely known the girl a day!"

"Hey, love at first sight is true love, and if you don't like it, go somewhere else!" Polnareff waved a hand at her.

Nena glanced past Anne, seeing Joseph running through the streets and struggling in the distance. She smirked, glad she had the pair with her distracted as the older man struggled against her stand.

"Jean… please, I think I see the problem here." Nena said after about a minute. "Anne… I can see now you have feelings for Jean. "

"I beg your pardon? You can't be serious." Anne said flatly.

"We must settle this now. We must leave it to Jean to choose which of us he wishes to share his heart with." Nena replied.

"Oh don't be preposterous, I will not engage in something so petty!" Anne exclaimed.

As this was happening, Joseph cried out as he struggled with the Empress stand. What had originated from the so-called bug bite had grown into an attached twin sort of form, Joseph unable to remove her from his forearm. "Damn it, I should be able to find the stand user, but I need a camera! Where can I find a camera store around here?!"

"HYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!" She shouted, continuing to beat up Joseph and make him stumble through the streets.

"Damn it, if I don't do something soon, I'm going to be a goner! Shit!" Joseph cried.

"I'm going to be able to reach far enough soon to cut your artery, hahahaha!" Empress shouted.

"Oh my God!" Joseph exclaimed.

Nena heard Joseph beginning to draw near where they were again, her spine straightening.

"Jean, I know you're close with Anne… but please listen to me… I need someone to rely on, and… I want that someone to be you." Nena said, making Polnareff blink. "I… like you."

"Do you… mean that?" Polnareff cracked a smile as he asked this.

"Yes… because you are reliable, and kind…" Nena replied, gently petting his face.

"Wow… I can't believe I could be this lucky… I'm in love!" Polnareff beamed. "A girl likes me!"

"Alright, that's it." Anne stormed up to them. "Do you just naturally throw yourself at any man you lay eyes on or are you hiding something?"

Polnareff snapped put of his stupor then. "Hey! This woman has done nothing to deserve this treatment and I won't let you speak to her like that!" He exclaimed. This woman was sweet and innocent, he wasn't going to stand for Anne acting this way towards her. "You're just jealous! You may be beautiful and strong, but Nena is warm and kind!"

"You are ridiculous! You have forgotten the entire reason we're here and have no sense of priority!" Anne shouted at him. "This is not some competition!"

"Oh, so you think I'm ridiculous because I'm in love?!" Polnareff threw his hands up. "Here I thought you actually cared about someone other than yourself!"

"You haven't the first idea what love is." Anne said lowly. "I have more experience with it in one finger than you do in your whole body. While you're playing this silly game, I am trying to focus on what's most important!"

"No, YOU don't. You have the nerve to have pretended to care about me, my sister, any of us! You have your own agenda and that's all that matters to you!"

"I do care about all of you, despite one of you continuing to be a stubborn ass! After everything that's happened, you still think I'm just pretending, someone you've spend the last several weeks with, yet you are able to trust a complete stranger?! Please, inform me where I lost you."

"You know what…? You're right, I've been really stupid in the past, but not this time. I have lost enough people in my life because of it, but if this woman loves me, I am not going to lose her because you want me to suffer!"

"Clearly, I am doing this to make you suffer." Anne said sarcastically. "And you're not doing this because she loves you, because if you acted like this towards anyone who loved you…" Her voice faded, hissing to herself. "I'm not entertaining this idiocy any longer."

"There. Right there. You don't feel sorry at all for what this woman has been through, but I do!"

"This woman hasn't endured anything near what I have, what you have, watching everyone we have ever cared about die! Not that we should even be comparing! You're missing the whole point of what I'm trying to convey to you!"

"This woman has done nothing but been sweet and kind, and you don't understand that, you will never understand that! You know why everyone around you has died?! You don't deserve love at all! You could never dream of being as warm as Nena!"

"So that's what you think then?" Anne said bitterly.

"Shh… Jean, calm down." Nena said. Anne turned, about to take off when she saw something going on some distance behind her.

It was Joseph, and he seemed to be struggling with something.

"Nena, I'm so sorry she treated you so badly. I won't let her hurt you. Let's seal our love with a kiss." Polnareff said tenderly. Nena smiled, leaning in to kiss him. Their kiss lasted a few moments before Anne grabbed her, yanking her away from Polnareff. As she did this, Joseph managed to tear Empress apart with his Purple Hermit, exhaling slowly as relief came over him.

"Don't you put your hands on her!" Polnareff shouted.

"Jean, will you just listen to me for a moment?! Look! Joseph is down there and needs our-"

"How could you be so heartless! I was beginning to think you were better than Dio, but you've tricked everyone again! Get out of my sight, I never want to see you again, go fry up in the sun and rot in hell! After Dio's dead, I'm moving back here and living here with Nena!" Just then, Nena began to convulse, Polnareff's eyes widening as he shoved past Anne. "Nena? Nena?! What the hell did you do to her?!"

"Anne didn't do anything." Joseph said, crossing his arms as he approached. "She had every right to be suspicious though… that was the stand user of Empress."

"Wh- What do you mean-" Polnareff gasped when something burst from Nena's body- a smaller, grotesquely ugly woman, severely injured as she collapsed, dead. "What the fuck is that?!"

"An ugly woman like her… she used her stand to assimilate other people. She was posing as a beautiful young woman… you were too naïve, Polnareff. She tricked you far too easily." Joseph said to him.

Jotaro arrived with Kakyoin then. "What the fuck happened here?" Jotaro asked.

"Ran into another stand user. Don't worry, the threat is averted." Joseph said.

"Looks like your arm is better too." Kakyoin noted. "We should find a car, it'll be faster than travelling by bus." He said, Joseph nodding. He then turned to Anne. "Are you and Polnareff alright?"

"… I'm fine." She said quietly. "Let's get out of here."

"I… I can't believe… she… she was so…" Polnareff muttered to himself.

Kakyoin watched Anne head towards the edge of the town by the Ganges River, not seeming intent to wait for any of them as Jotaro went to fetch a car. The sky began to display a multitude of colors as evening rolled in, not realizing until then that the fiasco caused by the Empress stand had cost them nearly the whole day.

"Anne... you're getting too far ahead of us." Kakyoin called to her. "Anne, wait up!"

Joseph exhaled audibly as he watched Kakyoin heading after Anne, looking from them to Polnareff.

"She was so perfect... how in the hell... I don't even-" Polnareff was cut off when Joseph hoisted him up, dragging him along.

When the group reached the river, Kakyoin continued to call to her. "Anne! Why aren't you answering me?"

"Because I am my own person and I can do as I please!" Anne shouted as she strode speedily.

"I don't understand... what is this about?" Kakyoin pressed on.

"Nothing that anyone needs to be informed about, so I will kindly ask you to let me be."

"Anne- Anne!" Kakyoin managed to catch up to her, who yanked her arm away when he took it in his hand. "Anne... why are you doing this?"

"Because I woke up, Noriaki. I'm a fool to think I could actually have some semblance of normalcy, friends, a family. I don't belong with people, it's been made very clear to me and I was too stupid to realize it sooner."

"Anne... what happened back there?" Kakyoin frowned. Joseph and Polnareff caught up, the latter plopping down to stare into the river.

"What does it matter? Nothing can change it. Nothing can change what I am."

"It matters to me, Anne."

"Why? Because you love me?" Anne asked, Kakyoin freezing where he was. "You don't love me. No one can love this, in any sense of the word. Do you think anyone could love Dio? Do you think he's capable of it?"

"You are not Dio." Kakyoin said.

"I murder people, Noriaki. I take the blood of humans in order to survive. I'm a monster."

"You don't murder people, Anne."

"I have."

"You're not leaving us."

She turned to the side. "I'm not arguing on the subject any longer." Her voice shook. She was angry with herself. Here she was again, like a silly little girl, letting the words and actions of others sway her emotions. She was so sick of this game, yet every time this happened, she kept falling into the same trap. She kept opening her heart when she should have been keeping it closed.

"Neither am I." Kakyoin said, taking her arm once again when she tried to walk away. Jotaro pulled up in the car as Joseph finished making a small fire, but his attention did not divert from Anne for a moment.

"Polnareff, help me with the fire." Joseph said.

The younger man sighed lightly, moping as he turned. As Joseph intended, he finally snapped out of it when he saw Kakyoin and Anne not far from them.

"Noriaki Kakyoin, you let go of me this instant!" Anne shouted.

"I'm not letting you go. I know what this is, Anne."

"You haven't any idea what this feels like!"

"Do you think so? Imagine a life seeing something no one else can't. Imagine trying to explain to schoolmates, your own parents, what you are seeing is real, only to receive skepticism, criticism, even hatred and mockery because they can't see it themselves? It's a lonely life, Anne. A solitary life. A life I didn't ask for myself but one I got nonetheless." As he spoke, Anne's struggling ceased. The sun had nearly set, and she shakily reached up to throw off her mask. The other three men watched silently, discreetly, Jotaro lighting a cigarette. "You don't have to say anything, Anne. Just know you don't have to do this alone." He could see she was trying to maintain her composure. "It's alright. It's just me. No one will judge you."

For the first time any had seen, Anne's face contorted as Kakyoin gently drew her into a hug. Jotaro flicked his cigarette, crushing it. He would never admit it, but he knew from the short time she had been with them that she was strong, resilient. To see someone like her be pushed to this point... it bothered him.

Joseph looked over at Polnareff. "I don't know what happened while I was dealing with Empress today... but if you have anything to do with this, you had better fix it. Despite our suspicions in the past, Anne has looked out for us. We're the only family she has."

After some time, Anne's sobbing finally died down. Kakyoin kept an arm around her as they headed back to the rest of the group, Anne straightening her spine. "Thank you, Noriaki." She said.

Kakyoin took the key from Jotaro, shooting Polnareff a look. "You can drive." He flicked the key, which subsequently landed in his hair, sticking out of it. Anne was about to get in the car, following Kakyoin.

"Anne." Polnareff said quietly, the woman stopping and turning to look at him. It was dark now, the campfire illuminating the right side of her face. He sighed a bit, scratching the back of his neck as flashbacks from the day played out in his mind.

 _'You know why everyone around you has died?! You don't deserve love at all! Get out of my sight, I never want to see you again, go fry up in the sun and rot in hell!'_

"Just say what you must." Anne said sternly, snapping Polnareff out of his thoughts.

"Look, I... you were right... about Nena, and... I wanted you to know that." He said. Jotaro pinched the bridge of his nose, Kakyoin face palming himself.

"Well then. Somehow your admission doesn't make me feel any better. Oh, wait... I don't feel anything at all, do I?" She said bitterly.

"Anne, come on, I... I couldn't help myself, she... she was so beautiful, and sweet, and-"

"And it was all a lie. You don't like hearing the truth, Jean, even to yourself. Do you see this?" She held up her mask. "This is all that most people, this is all YOU continue to see me as. I may be cold, I may hide away in the shadows, but there is still a human heart beneath the exterior. But you only care for the surface." She said, once again about to walk away.

Polnareff exhaled sharply, groaning as his head fell back a bit. "Look, I know I was an ass, okay? I said some really bad things but I was just so angry, I thought... I don't know what I thought-"

"You DIDN'T." Anne said as she turned back around.

A sigh. "Anne... insult me. Say whatever you need to... make it better."

Anne scoffed. "Fighting fire with fire gets nowhere. Words full of hate and spite are like a punch to the face."

"I know. Just... whatever you have for me, I promise, I won't be angry. I can take it." Polnareff said. Anne stared at him a moment, studying his face.

"Very well, then. I only have one thing, but it should get the message across." Anne said.

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, I deserve it- oof!" Polnareff exclaimed as Anne sucker punched his face, so much so he actually fell back, holding his nose. "Oh... sacre bleu..." He groaned lightly as Anne turned on her heal, heading into the car.

As she sat down, Jotaro smirked at her, Kakyoin trying not to snicker. Joseph smiled lightly, shaking his head. He had really started to appreciate having Anne with them.

Kakyoin approached Polnareff, who was still holding his nose. "Hey."

"Hey... don't worry, I'll be okay..." Polnareff said.

"I wasn't asking that. I was going to ask if you could still drive."

"Uh... yeah, I think so." Polnareff replied.

"Alright then, let's get going." He said, joining the others as they got in the car.

The group drove through the night, stopping in Delhi after driving for about twelve hours to allow Polnareff to get some sleep and for the others to get some early morning refreshments. A couple hours later, they were back on the road. As they headed towards the border of northern India and Pakistan, Anne groaned lightly.

"For goodness sake Jean, I can hear your teeth chattering from a mile away…" She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm freezing!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Perhaps you should learn to take a change of attire aside from muscle shirts with you." Anne replied.

"We're close to the Himalayan Mountains… that's why it's so cold." Joseph commented.

"Here." Anne reached back to grab a blanket, her cat meowing a bit in annoyance as she tossed it towards Polnareff. "Warm up."

"I had no idea that cat was even still with us, Anne." Kakyoin tilted his head.

"It's very easy to forget she's about." Anne said. It was now the early afternoon, and as they traversed the increasingly rugged terrain, Jotaro curled his lip as they went over a bump for the umpteenth time.

"Stop making the car shake. It's annoying."

"It's not my fault, it's very rocky out here!" Polnareff rolled his eyes.

Kakyoin was reading a book, Anne glancing over. "Do you like poetry?"

He shrugged. "It's calming to read… passes the time."

Just then, they came upon a car that was moving at a rather slow pace. "Ugh, this car is going so slow…"

"They're probably elderly Jean, please don't tailgate." Anne said.

"I'm going around them. Jeez, the roads are so narrow…"

"Come on, don't be ridiculous!" Kakyoin said as Jean pressed on the gas petal, rocking the whole car as he squeezed past the other vehicle.

"Will you two relax, this car is four wheel drive, it can handle a little tough terrain!" Polnareff waved his hand at them.

"Polnareff, I'm still a wanted man in Varanasi because of what happened to that doctor… we can't risk getting in trouble while we're still in India." Joseph advised. "I just can't believe we're almost through this country already."

Polnareff quieted then. "I'll come back. I'm going to give Avdol a proper burial." He said with a hint of somberness. Kakyoin glanced at him before looking at Anne. A part of him wanted to tell her. He hated keeping this from her, especially because she had been so open with him. However, he didn't want to risk betraying Jotaro's trust. It was an awkward and uncomfortable position to be in.

He was jostled from his thoughts when the brakes suddenly screeched, the car coming to an abrupt halt.

"I don't fucking believe it!" Polnareff shouted as the others got on his case. He pointed out the window at a hitch hiker at the side of the road… but this wasn't any hitch hiker. As the smaller individual approached, Jotaro let his head fall back, groaning.

"You have got to be shitting me…" He rubbed his forehead.

"You just can't get away, can you?" The hitch hiker removed their cap to reveal that it was Anne, the young stowaway girl they thought they lost back in Singapore. "You boys wanna give me a lift?"

"Weren't you supposed to meet up with your father?" Kakyoin raised a brow.

"Might as well come clean… that was a lie. I'm just a girl who ran away from home." She shrugged as she opened the door, making her way past Jotaro to squeeze herself between him and Anne.

"Hey, who said you could come with us? H- How did you even get here?!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Who cares how I got here, let's just go somewhere! You guys are way cooler than my parents who are strict as hell."

"Jotaro, throw her out, she's going to slow us down!" Polnareff whined.

"Will all of you just silence yourselves for one moment?" Anne snapped, everyone quieting. "The girl shouldn't be out on her own. We will go to the nearest rest stop and have her return to her family once there."

"Hey, you can't do that!" Young Anne pouted.

"I can, and I shall. You should never abandon your family and someday you shall learn the value of it, hopefully before it's too late. Jean, drive." Anne said.

"Anne come on, I don't want to deal with-"

"We shall keep her entertained back here. Drive." Anne said firmly.

After a few minutes of driving, she smirked, turning to Jotaro. "Hey, wanna see some porn photos? Guys like that kind of stuff, right?" Jotaro curled his lip in reaction.

"What on Earth-" Anne snatched them from the teen.

"Where did you GET those?!" Kakyoin asked with a hint of shock.

"From India… I stole a bunch and traded them for food and stuff. I still have these left over but now I don't need them with you guys."

"This is highly improper for a young lady to be doing all these adult things. Noriaki, throw these out the window. She shouldn't be looking at things like this her age let alone having them in her possession."

"Hey, you know how much money I could have gotten for those?!"

"This is what happens when you don't have a family to guide you. You have no place being exposed to these things at your age."

"Don't lecture me! I'm tough and can do whatever I want!"

"I'm telling you to shut the fuck up!" Jotaro finally snapped, young Anne smirking lightly at him. "We do what Anne says and contact authorities at the border to pick her up." At this she grimaced, plopping against the back of the seat with her arms crossed. She thought of something then.

"Hey, come on, I'm a girl… I'll have to wear bras in a year or so and look nice for boys… this is the best time for me to travel and see the world, can't you all cut me some slack?" No one replied, making her pout more and grumble. Jotaro pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing to himself.

After some time, Kakyoin glanced behind him. "Someone's back with a vengeance."

Anne turned to look out the back window, seeing the car from earlier. "It's getting on our tail… Jean, just let them pass."

"What the hell is with this guy? Make up their mind much? Fine…" Polnareff rolled his eyes, waving the car on. Anne watched as the car sped past them, shaking her head at all this nonsense. As soon as it was in front of them, however, the car once again slowed to a crawl as it has done earlier.

"What the hell is this shit?! I let them go so they could slow down again?" Polnareff blared the horn. "Come on, asshole!" Polnareff tried to go ahead of the car again, but it wasn't going to have it this time.

"They're probably peeved because of earlier… did anyone see what the driver looked like?" Kakyoin asked.

"No, windows were too dark." Jotaro said.

"We have to be careful, there's a chance it could be another stand user." Joseph said.

"Hey, the front window is rolling down." Jotaro pointed out. They noticed an arm emerge, waving them on.

"Oh this is absolutely ridiculous!" Anne threw her hands up.

"Pfft, probably realized finally what a shifty car he has. Should have stayed behind me, dipshit!"

"Jean, just knock it off and go, alright?" Kakyoin sighed.

As Polnareff went to go around the car, they realized too late that a truck was coming towards them in the opposite direction.

"Shit!" Jotaro exclaimed. "Star Platinum!" The stand emerged as the car tumbled and rolled, holding the car together until they finally came to a stop.

"Man, we owe you one Jotaro, Star Platinum saved us from being crushed!" Polnareff wiped his brow.

"Where in the hell is that car?!" Joseph exclaimed as he helped young Anne to her feet.

"Gone." Jotaro said as he brushed himself off. "What do you think, old man? Was that a stand user or some asshole playing a nasty trick?"

As the men discussed probable theories, Anne huffed, shaking her head as she stared into the distance. Young Anne approached her, pursing her lip. "Why did you try to protect me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Anne asked.

"You tried to shield me. I thought you were angry at me or whatever."

Anne turned. "Being cross with you doesn't mean you deserve to be mortally wounded." She said. "Besides, I'm cross because of how reckless you're being. This was a prime example."

"Why do you care what happens to me, you don't even know me."

"Because I was reckless once and people died for it. I don't want you to make the same mistakes and end up regretting it."

"Yeah, but… I didn't do anything wrong."

"You ran away from home for no good reason. Your parents establishing ground rules are for your benefit, not for your inconvenience."

"Yeah, but… my family-"

"- Loves you, I'm sure."

"They aren't even looking for me. They wanted me to follow their stupid rules and then don't even care when I run."

"Perhaps they are waiting for you to return on your own… awaiting your acceptance."

Young Anne looked at her feet. "They'll be mad at what I've done."

"If they love you, they will accept you regardless of what you have done. Don't wait until they're gone to find out."

The teen shrugged. "Well… what about you? Where's your family?"

"Anne." Kakyoin approached then. "There's a pit stop a short walk away."

"Yes, let's recuperate from this ordeal." Anne sighed, the teen staring after her a moment before joining the others.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And I'll end it here today, folks! So, what do you think? Is this guy working for Dio, or is he just a normal guy with a lot of spite? Thank you to all who have read and supported this story, it is much appreciated by Revolver and I! Please leave a nice review with your thoughts and stay tuned for the next update! See you next time and once again, Happy St. Patrick's day!**


	10. The Road to Ruin

**Good evening, readers! I hope you're ready for a bit of action today, because you're going to get some in today's update! What will our heroes encounter this time? Read on and find out! As always, please enjoy and thanks again to those who have supported this story.**

* * *

They eventually reached the small place, which appeared to be a small bar stand. They approached, the group ordering some sugar cane water to cool off and refresh themselves. As Joseph was about to take a sip, he gasped when in the reflection of the glass, he saw the car from earlier parked underneath a nearby tree. He whirled around, nudging Polnareff.

"Hey… that's the car right over there!" He exclaimed. "And the driver's seat is empty, there's no one inside!"

"Hey, do you know who the driver of that car is?!" Joseph demanded to know of the owner.

"I don't know, sir… I didn't even realize it was there until you just mentioned it." He replied.

"None of these people are going to admit it…" Polnareff growled.

"We have no other choice… we may involve innocent people but we're going to have to beat the answers out of these bastards." Jotaro said.

"Have the lot of you lost your senses?!" Anne suddenly exclaimed. "Rather than proceeding to beat the piss out of these people and make unnecessary trouble, simply wait for the one in pursuit of us to approach and identify themselves or wait for them to return to their vehicle because I doubt someone of their nature would simply park it where we are and abandon it without confronting us themselves!"

Kakyoin sighed with relief. "Nice to know I'm not the only sensible one here. Let's just ask these guys if they know anything."

Joseph and the others agreed, Anne's eyes scanning the road as the men asked questions of the patrons there. After a few moments, her eyes were drawn to the car when she sensed movement. She began to approach it, tilting her head. When she was a few yards away, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw not in the front seat, but in the back, what she recognized to be a small girl hold her hands up to the window, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried.

"My God… there's a girl…! There is a girl in that car!" Anne shouted to the others. She whirled around when she heard the engine roar suddenly, the driver having suddenly reappeared as his arm hung out the lowered window. "Unhand her!" Anne screamed as the driver attempted to speed off, but not before Anne leapt onto the hood of the car.

"Shit, Anne!" Kakyoin cried. "We have to go after her!"

Jotaro grabbed young Anne as she tried to pick someone's pocket, shoving her in the beat up four wheeler as the rest of them quickly piled in. Polnareff pressed the petal to the metal, but the car kept a good amount of distance between them.

"Shit, that car is fast on such a bumpy road!" He exclaimed.

"Go faster!" Kakyoin shouted.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!" Polnareff threw a hand up.

"Anne is all by herself out there!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing can happen, do you understand?! She's in this situation because we weren't paying attention!"

"She can hold her own, just shut up and focus!" Jotaro shouted.

Meanwhile, Anne hissed as she summoned Sekhmet, the stand's eyes fiery as she bore her saber like teeth. Her claws unfurled before sending them into the roof of the car, beginning to claw open the hood. The girl inside cried fearfully, appearing to be of Chinese origin.

"Listen to me, I'm here to help you!" Anne called to her.

"No, please, you have to stay away!" The girl cried.

"Don't be afraid, just take a deep breath and reach for my hand! I won't let you get hurt!" Anne called to her.

"You can't, it's too dangerous! I'll-"

"Hey, no spilling anything, you little brat!" A male voice came from the front. "Dio owes me big time for dealing with you!" The driver pulled on a lever then, something beginning to rise up from behind Anne as she tried to reach in to take the girl's hand.

"There they are! Anne is on the hood!" Joseph shouted.

"What the fuck is that thing coming out from the trunk?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

Anne had managed to take the girl's hand when a ring of fire sounded, the woman screaming painfully as she was riddled with debris. The girl cried harder, grabbing Anne's arm before she could fall off the hood of the car and pulling with all her might into the car. Anne was bloodied as she landed with a thud in the back seat.

"Haha, serves you right, bitch! Boy, will Dio be happy when I bring back this prize!" The driver laughed as the girl cowered fearfully.

"NO, ANNE!" Kakyoin screamed, pounding on the seat. "They turned off there!"

Polnareff swore under his breath as they turned at the sign pointing out the direction to Pakistan. As they continued to speed on, they suddenly saw, to their horror, a rope bridge over a cliff coming up, skidding to a stop.

"How can this be, it's a dead end!" Joseph cried.

Kakyoin leaned forward, looking everywhere in a panic. "She's gone… where did the car go, did it turn another corner, it couldn't have crossed the bridge, where could it have-"

"You're right. Which means if they came here, they must have went over the edge." Jotaro said.

The others looked at him with a sense of dread, even young Anne furrowing a brow. Polnareff shook his head, leaning his forearms on the wheel. Joseph exhaled slowly. "We will have to cut our losses and keep moving, if it is a stand user we'll see them again-"

"No!" Kakyoin exclaimed as he stormed out of the car and strode to the cliff edge. "Anne! Anne, can you hear me?! Anne!" He clenched his teeth, picking up a rock and hurling it. "FUCK!" He ran a hand through his hair, shutting his eyes. He stormed back to the car, grabbing Polnareff. "This is your fault!"

"Mine?! What the hell did I do?!"

"You're always messing with everyone, we lost Avdol and now we lost Anne because you have to always be a smartass!"

"Kakyoin, this isn't helping anyone!" Joseph held the young man back, shaking him a bit. "Look at me. Anne is a strong woman. She's still out there and she is going to fight as hard as she can to survive. We can't be fighting with each other like this."

Kakyoin sighed slowly, tightening his lips a moment. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Now. We have to figure out where we are and get back onto the right path so we can make our way into Pakistan-" Joseph was cut off when suddenly, something slammed into the car from behind, everyone exclaiming in shock.

"What the- it's him!" Kakyoin shouted.

"How did he end up BEHIND us?!" Polnareff cried as the car backed up, only to slam into them again.

"Guys…"

"How does that little shitty car have so much power?!"

"I have no idea, this guy is a maniac!"

"Guys!"

"What the hell are we going to do?! Does anyone see Anne? What did that bastard do to her?!" Kakyoin shouted.

"GUYS!" Young Anne screamed.

"What?!" They all shouted.

"We're about to be pushed off the cliff!" She pointed out the window.

"Our luck cannot be this bad." Jotaro shook his head.

"Damn it, the wheels are just spinning, we aren't getting any traction! Jotaro, use Star Platinum and destroy that fucker!" Polnareff shouted.

"I can't, it'll just push us further over the edge." Jotaro hissed.

"Then this is it!" Polnareff exclaimed. As they began to tip over the cliff's edge, Kakyoin suddenly summoned Heirophant Green, latching onto the car while its tail coiled around the car trying to destroy them.

"Kakyoin, your stand can't possibly support all this weight!" Joseph exclaimed.

"I know what I'm doing!" He shouted back as the stand grabbed onto the jeep's harness.

"Hey, nice thinking." Jotaro smirked. He summoned Star Platinum, who grabbed onto the harness and used it with his incredible strength to swing the hanging jeep back onto the cliff, saving them from danger.

As this happened, Anne, who was still in the car, opened her eyes. At just the right moment, she grabbed the girl, propelling herself out the window as she leapt up, landing swiftly on the edge as the car she came out of cascaded off the side. Inside the jeep, the group widened their eyes.

"Anne!" Kakyoin cried, getting out and running to her. "You're alive!" He said, the pair sharing a hug.

"Well, as alive as a vampire can be." She smirked under her mask. "Are you alright, the others?"

"Yes… Anne, I thought we lost you." Kakyoin breathed a sigh of relief. Polnareff approached then.

"Well, that was pretty impressive." He tilted his head. "Who's she?" He nodded to the little Chinese girl who took a step back.

"She was being held hostage. What the reason is, is no longer relevant. She may join us until we are able to return her to her home."

"No, you don't understand!" The girl cried. "You have to stay away!"

"Hello little one. You don't have to be scared. We won't hurt you." Joseph said as he and Jotaro approached.

"Yes I do! You're the ones who are going to get hurt!" She said fearfully.

"I assure you here and now. Everything is going to be alright." Anne said.

'How much do you want to bet on that, huh?'

The group looked around at the unidentified voice. "I didn't say it, it didn't sound like any of us!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"It's coming from inside the jeep!" Kakyoin said.

"The radio… it's picking up some sort of signal!" Joseph added.

"Wait a moment, that voice…" Anne breathed. "It's him, it's that driver!"

"How could THAT be, no one could survive a fall like that." Young Anne tilted her head.

The voice continued to speak among the static coming from the radio. 'Wheel… of… Fortune stand! That's how I did it, Joestar! And by the way… you better bring that… kid back if you… know what's good for you!'

"Like hell I will! Joseph, how is he doing this?" Anne asked.

"It can't be that guy, he's all the way at the bottom of the cliff, smashed to bits!" Polnareff threw his hands up.

"Jean, I know that voice belongs to that man, I swear it." Anne insisted.

"Anne could be right. The car itself could be the stand. Think about it… how was it able to work out such impossible placements?" Jotaro said. "Besides… we already saw an Orangutan that had a whole boat for a stand."

'Wheel of Fortune… is the name… of my stand!'

"The ground is shaking!" Kakyoin grabbed whomever was near him, pulling them back away from the cliff's edge. Moments later, the ground burst open, the mash of parts that was the car previously in pursuit of them transforming before their eyes.

"Jotaro was right… this guy has been trying to kill us since we entered the mountain pass!" Joseph exclaimed.

The metal monstrosity pounded the ground with extended opposable parts like arms coming from where the wheels had been, the front grill having formed jagged, sharp edged like teeth as it emitted a roar, something between the engine firing up and the horn blaring, the lights illuminating with bright intensity. Jotaro's shadow was casted onto the group as he stood before the catastrophic contraption.

"Jotaro, no! You can't fight it, it's too powerful!" Joseph cried.

"Well, as he said earlier… want to bet on that? Let's see who's stronger." Jotaro said with a grimace.

"Jotaro, wait, there's something you have to know before you-!" Anne cried, but it came too late when Jotaro felt something tear through him like bullets just as Anne had before. He clenched his jaw in pain as mind raced to comprehend where the attack could have come from and what it was. "Oh bloody hell! Asp of Mercy!" Anne cried, the asp curling around Jotaro's arm to try to heal his wounds.

"We have to get him out of there, he's still in a position of getting hurt!" Kakyoin shouted, he and Polnareff racing to help shield Jotaro as they were also shot at. Joseph cried their names as young Anne and the other small girl screamed.

"Son of a bitch, what the hell is it shooting at us, it hurts!" Polnareff shouted.

"I'm going to turn you all into road kill!" The stand user shouted from within its stand.

"All of you, between the cliffs, now!" Anne shouted, ushering everyone in so the gap was too small for Wheel of Fortune to get through. However, as they soon saw, it began to smash through the rocks with brute force. "This bastard is relentless!" She hissed.

As they all ran through the cliffs, they felt the ground trembling around them as the monstrous car stand rammed into the gap as hard as possible, over and over, until it was grinding through the rocks.

"Stop running away, you fucking roaches!" The driver growled.

"He's like a very stupid and angry man failing to solve a Rubik's cube..." Polnareff commented as they ran further away, Anne shooting him a quizzical expression.

"Jean, how is this ANYTHING like you just described?!" She exclaimed.

The car then shot out another projectile at Jotaro, which shined brightly in the light's reflection before tearing through him. Once again, none of them were able to get a clear view of what exactly it was. As they dashed onward, young Anne tripped and fell to the ground hard, looking back to see the car stand still pursuing them, none of the others making any action to go back for her.

"N- No one's trying to save me!" She cried as tears welled up in her eyes. "Ahh! I'm just a girl who ran away from home! No one pities me! I'm just a lonely, loveless girl! I might as well die!" She continued, upset about her current state as Wheel of Fortune broke away from the gap and sped towards her. Just before she could wind up crushed beneath the car's spiked tires, she felt her body being hoisted upwards, away from danger.

"Good grief... in the time you said all that crap, you could have tried to run!" Jotaro spat as she glanced at him, blushing. At this point, it was clear that she had undoubtedly developed a crush on the stone faced young man. It wasn't the first time this had happened, much to Jotaro's dismay. He cared little for defenseless girls.

They spotted a large rock they could climb, beginning to ascend it quickly. As they all made it to the top, they heard the driver laugh to himself. "That's right, keep climbing... because you'll have nowhere else to go! The road to escape, the road to safety, the road to Egypt, together with the road to a bright future... you'll never reach any of those!" The driver shouted, his arm raised up. "You know why? Because this wheel of fortune is going to squash you into meat sauce and splatter it all over the rock face!" He yelled as the spikes protruded from the wheels of the car and started to climb the cliff.

The group was beginning to panic as the car ascended at a ninety degree angle, but Jotaro was still as stoic as before, determined to end this.

"Everyone, back off... when it reaches the top, it will expose the bottom of the car. We'll see who's stronger then." He said, preparing himself.

As wheel of fortune rode up the wall, hovering in the air, the driver spoke once more. "You're very lively, Jotaro... very lively, but not experienced enough! You don't seem calm enough... much too impetuous... haven't you noticed that weird smell on you?" He said, causing Jotaro to stop his attack. As it turned out, everyone began to smell gasoline on themselves then, having just assumed it was from the crashed jeep. Polnareff confirmed their fears however, when he examined his own wounds from the attacks earlier.

"It's our bodies! The fumes are coming from our wounds!" It was finally realized that the car had been shooting drops of gas at the group like high pressure bullets, not as a means to harm them just yet, but as a way to set them up for the true threat, and Jotaro had the most gas on his body. The driver laughed as the car was moving down.

"Too late now... Electrical Fire!" He shouted as he landed and touched Jotaro with an exposed wire, setting the delinquent aflame.

"NO! Jotaro!" Anne screamed.

"Jotaro!" Joseph yelled as he tried to get to his burning body, but Kakyoin held him back.

"Don't get too close, Mr. Joestar! We're covered in gas as well!" He cried. Jotaro continued to burn until he fell to his knees and finally collapsed on the ground, much to the driver's delight as he laughed.

"That's it!" The driver cheered raising his fist in the air. "No more part three! I don't care if that vampire bitch is still here, this shitty fanfic is over!" He shouted, getting the author rather angry at his comment.

"Ha... the more things change, the more they stay the same..." A voice said as an arm emerged from the ground. Jotaro Kujo was still alive and well- using Star Platinum, he had burrowed himself underground to extinguish the flames, only letting his jacket burn up. "A moment ago, you said there were no roads to take… well, you're wrong. Roads are made by one's self." He said as he resurfaced, brushing off the dirt from his shoulders as he approached the car. "Allow me to personally demonstrate that for you." Before the driver could do anything, Star Platinum appeared and began pummeling the car, bending the hard steel around his fists and pushing the driver towards the other side, finally punching him out of the car and skidding across the ground several feet away, creating his own road. The gang approached the defeated stand user as he was finally rendered useless. His arms were in fact huge and muscular, but the rest of him was skinny and gangly. As he tried to crawl away, Polnareff stepped on his back to keep the user at bay.

"P- Please don't kill me! I was paid to do it!" The driver yelled in a shrill, high pitched squeal. All that toughness and bravado displayed earlier, all sense of being a threat completely deflated the moment he spoke up, and the entire group began to laugh at his pathetic nature, even Anne. As this happened, the car started to shrink and bend itself, turning from this huge metal monstrosity to a smaller car with a sunroof. It seemed like something of a reject from an old car manufacturing plant.

"Oh my god... I didn't think it was that small. It's like a sheep without all its wool..." Joseph said.

Shortly after, they took the user and bound him to a big rock using chain, covering his mouth with a large handkerchief as well as the post a sign near him saying that he was undergoing training.

"Okay... now we don't have to worry about him ambushing us anymore. We'll take his passport so he can't leave India." Joseph said.

"Yeah! And we can use his car to cross the border!" Polnareff added.

"Not so fast." Anne said. "I have some questions for mister tough guy here." Anne said.

"I guess we could spare a little time poking at this imbecile for the trouble he gave us." Polnareff said.

Anne approached, nearly tearing off the tie around ZZ's mouth. "So, I'm going to ask for some information for you. You can either give it to me… or not. What happens to you depends on what you decide."

"I ain't telling you shit!"

"But I will ask questions. My original statement stands. So, first question… who is the girl?"

"A pain in the ass- I don't fucking know!"

"Did Dio send her with you? Was she supposed to be bait? Was she taken against her will?"

"I have no idea where she came from!"

"Does Dio know of me? What are the names and locations of his remaining assassins?" She scowled when he tightened his lips, saying nothing. "Not going to talk, are you?" Anne growled at the pathetic man. "You will either tell me what Dio's plans are and why you have that girl with you or I'll just have to get it out of you some other way." She hissed, threatening to bite him.

"Fine, fine! That kid's more trouble than she's worth! You can deal with her now but you aren't gonna like it! Dio said she was the perfect thing for you... whatever the hell that means!" ZZ exclaimed. "Alright, I talked, let me go now alright?"

"All I heard was hot air... what about you, Jotaro? I think this speed racer needs to cool off." Anne said.

"Couldn't agree more." Jotaro said as he tied his mouth back up. ZZ protested, his muffled screams fading as they headed back.

"Mr. Joestar, we have a problem." Anne said. "It seems that Dio is somehow aware of my presence now. This can only mean one thing."

"He has an informant... shit!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Hey, I'm hungry." Young Anne pouted.

"You, young lady, are going home along with this unfortunate child that we found." Anne said.

"N- No, you have to stay away!" The girl cried as she stepped back. "It's going to come out and it will trap you! Please, I can't stop it!"

Anne frowned, crouching before the child. "What is your name?"

She sniffled. "Chibi... it's my nickname."

"That man isn't going to trap us anymore. You have nothing to fear." Anne said.

"Yes I do... and so do you." Chibi said, chillingly quiet. Anne furrowed a brow at this. "I'm sorry... but he won't help me unless I do what he told me to..."

"What are you talking about? Sweetheart, if something is wrong, you can tell-" Anne looked up then, spotting a floating red orb rising ominously behind the girl.

"Hey, what is that?" Kakyoin asked, getting the attention of the others.

"What are you all talking about, did you hit your heads too hard? I don't see anything!" Young Anne exclaimed.

Chibi began to cry, covering her eyes as she whimpered 'I'm sorry' over and over. As she did so, everyone but young Anne seemed to be in a trance, all staring at one point. However, what each began to see as the environment changed around them varied drastically.

"Hey, what's the matter with you guys? Hello? Come on, I'm hungry!" She shouted, stomping her foot. "Hey, crying kid, help me snap these idiots out of it!"

Little did young Anne know that none of them could hear or see her right now, Chibi too fearful to say anything. The red orb that all but she could see began to glow brighter, all of their eyes illuminating the same color. Polnareff was the first to lose the strength in his legs as he collapsed, crawling around on the ground. Kakyoin was the next to collapse, with Anne, Joseph, and finally, Jotaro following suit. They all stayed on the ground, seeming to have the life drained out of them for a moment before they began to reawaken.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Not expecting that last bit, we're you, Jojo fans? That's right! Our next OC stand user has been introduced! What powers does the stand of this little girl possess? Why is she so fearful? Fret not, you will see more of her stand in the next chapter, where I will also post her stats. Until then, if you would like, post your speculations in a review! Thank you again for reading, and I hope you are all looking forward to the next chapter! See you next time!**


	11. If I Die Before I Wake: Part One

**Good morning, readers! It's been a bit of time since posting the last chapter due to busy schedules and projects, but I'm here with a bit of a longer one for you today to make up for it! I ask you for this update to bear with me a bit, as because several things are supposed to be happening at one time, there are many breaks and shorter scenes. Also, you will be seeing some stats today because- that's right! We're taking a look at our next OC stand user today! Are you ready for what's in store? I hope you all enjoy, and please leave a nice review with your thoughts!**

* * *

Polnareff opened his eyes, furrowing a brow when he saw nothing but blindingly white halls in what seemed to be a hospital. He grunted as he came to a seated position, rubbing his head. "What the hell? Where am I, how did I get here?" He asked himself. He finally came to stand, a bit uneasy when he saw that no one was around. "Kakyoin? Jotaro? Mr. Joestar! Hey, where'd everybody go?"

 _'Jean.'_

Polnareff whirled around at the voice, but saw nothing. "Who was that?! Hey!" He shouted, running down the long, seemingly unending hallway. There were no windows, light seeming to emit from nowhere as he began to grow weary. He finally reached an elevator, furrowing a brow. There seemed to be someone standing inside as he peeked through the small window.

"Sherry...?" His eyes widened as his hands groped at the wall to smack the button, the door beginning to open. He winced with surprise as an ear piercing grinding and squeaking was heard, the door making an almost chalkboard scratching sound as it opened. When it finally did, his joyous expression completely changed, stepping back as he looked on in horror.

* * *

Kakyoin hissed, holding his head as he sat up. He groaned as he came to sit up, looking around to see that his parents were sitting right in front of him. He jumped back a bit, not understanding where he was or why they were there.

"Mom? Dad? Why... what are you doing here?" Kakyoin asked. "Where are my friends?"

"Noriaki, sweetie..." He noticed they were wearing sunglasses. "You have no friends, sweetheart." His mother smiled as she took his hand.

"The school nurse called. We're here to take you home." His father told him.

"W- Wait, what are you- I'm not- I'm trying to get to Pakistan, I have to help Mr. Joestar save his daughter and-"

"It's worse than we thought, dear." His father said. "We'll have to take drastic measures."

"Maybe the children can help him. Once he's all fixed, our little Noriaki can come back home. We can have a picnic. We can buy him new clothes that the other children wear. We can give him a haircut. Then we can tuck him into bed, nice and snug." His mother smiled.

Kakyoin was at a loss for words for a moment. "Why are you speaking like this? I don't understand!"

"No, Noriaki. We don't understand. We don't understand because we don't see. You have to conform. You can be normal again."

They both took their sunglasses off to reveal black voids where their eyes should have been. Kakyoin screamed, trying to flee the room. When he burst through the door, he gasped when he was suddenly surrounded by an endless sea of faceless schoolchildren. They began to seize him, dragging him into a room where he was strapped down. He cried out for his friends, but his cries were left unanswered. There was a mirror next to where he was, looking over to see a younger self in his reflection. His head snapped forward when he heard the door open, two individuals in coats and face masks entering.

"It's time for your picnic, Noriaki." The voice of his mother said, holding up a large needle. "It's very nutritious."

"Mom, what are you doing?! Why are we back in my school, why-" Kakyoin was cut off, screaming as his mother stabbed the gigantic needle into his arm, able to hear his own racing heart pounding into his head.

* * *

Anne wandered aimlessly out of her childhood home, her eyes fixated on the setting sun. She had no idea why her skin wasn't burning. Had she died? Was this heaven? She felt a light, airy feeling. A feeling of euphoria. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes as she twirled. She had no worries, no guilt, no responsibilities. She fell back into the soft embrace of the grass, sighing lightly as she looked up into the sky. She opened her eyes after what seemed to be an eternity, sitting up to see that an apple tree had appeared. She seemed drawn to it, practically floating on her feet as she made her way towards it. She reached up, taking one of the succulent fruits into her hand, smiling at how ripe it was. She closed her eyes, biting into the apple.

She failed to notice the red liquid dripping from her lips as she consumed the fruit.

A cold breeze made her shiver, causing her to open her eyes. The sun was no longer there to light the sky, which had become a dark, blood red hue. An ominous feeling crept into the air as Anne slowly looked down, gasping and dropping what she was holding. No longer a delicious apple, but a still beating heart, a large chunk missing from it, landed on the ground. She slowly looked up at the tree, which had now become a twisted form of arms, legs, heads, twisting and writhing.

Her family.

Anne shrieked, staggering back before falling to her knees. The soft, lush grass had disappeared, slimy, filthy mud being left in its wake. A hand grabbed her arm, trying to keep her down as she looked back. She struggled against it until the arm pulled itself up, seeing someone familiar. Before she could even cry out their name, she was yanked by a chain she did not even realize had been tied around her neck. She cried out, groaning as she tried to push herself up, only to be yanked forward again, dragged through the mud. When she was finally able to look up and see who was holding the chain, she clenched her teeth, her eyes burning with fury.

* * *

Young Anne blinked as she witnessed the adults before her acting strangely, seeing things, sometimes moving not of their own accord. She took a step back, furrowing a brow. "What the hell is wrong with them?" She asked, looking up at Chibi as she stood petrified. "You have one of those things, don't you? The things I can't see, they keep calling them stands... it's some sort of magic, isn't it?"

"Don't come too close, it will get you too!" Chibi cried.

"WHAT will? I don't SEE anything."

"It doesn't matter... you'll still see it... it scares you until you die. That's why I have to do it to other people so it doesn't to me..."

"Scare? I'm not afraid of anything." Young Anne said. "You're such a big baby, you seem afraid of everything!"

"I don't want it to kill my mommy and daddy!" Chibi cried. "I have to do this to them or the cold man won't help me!"

"Cold man...?" Young Anne raised a brow.

* * *

 **Stand User Name: Chibi**

 **Stand Name: Birthday Massacre**

 **Abilities: Become a form or an environment based on an attacker's personal fear or trauma in order to drain their energy by creating a sense of fear, dread, paranoia or doubt. It traps the opponent within its attack, preventing the user from using its stand against it. The only way to defeat the stand is to break out of its grasp on the user's mind.**

 **Destructive Power: B**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: D**

 **Development: A**

* * *

Joseph grunted as he blinked his eyes open, sitting up. "Hm... this is strange... it feels cold. Wait... am I in- it can't be!" He exclaimed. His breath could be seen upon the air, snow crunching under his feet as he rubbed his arms from the frigid temperature. He wandered for a bit until he noticed droplets of blood in the snow. He frowned a bit, and though something in him told him he should stay away, he went against his instincts to follow it. He gasped upon seeing what building lay ahead. "The mansion... this is where..." His voice trailed off as he broke into a jog, throwing the double doors opened once he reached it. He entered the old mansion, raising a brow. It appeared magnificent, his footsteps echoing as he walked on the marble floors. He then heard an airy whisper, the door shutting behind him and extinguishing the candles. He gasped when only light from the windows flooded in, and he saw something moving in the darkness. He heard cracking beneath him, looking down just in time to see something shoot out from the floor, wrapping around his wrist and ankles. "Vines!" He cried, yanking his arms away from them as he grunted, clenching his teeth. As he began to do so, he heard a voice echoing above him.

"No, please, stop!"

"Huh? Who is that? Where are you?!" Joseph shouted.

"You're hurting me! Please, stop this!"

Before Joseph could inspect further, he saw flickering lights moving within the shadows. "Are you working for Dio? Come out and tell me who you are!"

"You don't know her voice, do you?"

"You don't know any of our voices. You only know those which you hate. You see only that which you hate."

"It is why you do not see us. You purge us to settle your mind. But you cannot keep us away forever. Your walls are crumbling. Your fortress will fall."

When the figures began to emerge, the vines beginning to seep into the shadows, Joseph widened his eyes in disbelief.

* * *

Jotaro opened his eyes to find darkness. He heard a crowd of muffled voices and what seemed to be a concert playing. He was a bit dizzy, wobbling as he slowly rose to his feet. He wandered in the darkness, his hands outstretched as he tried to find any source of light.

"Star Platinum." He tried to summon his stand, but it did not appear. He groaned in frustration before he finally spotted a thin, vertical line of light. He stumbled over, but instantly regretted it when he widened the gap. It took him a few moments to realize it had been a curtain, the crowd cheering as he stepped onto the stage. He looked around, an endless arena of people cheering on the music playing around him. When he heard a familiar voice, he slowly looked over raising a brow. "Dad…? What the hell are you doing?"

"What I love, son! About time you showed up! Come on! They're going wild, they love you!" Jotaro's father beamed.

Jotaro was genuinely weirded out, blinking. "The hell is this shit? How did you even find me?"

"I didn't find you, son… they did. You have to keep them happy or you're out of showbiz. That's why I can't come home… once they're hooked, they never let you go."

Jotaro tilted his head in bewilderment. "Dad… what in the fuck are you talking about?"

"Well, look for yourself." His father said.

Jotaro looked out into the crowd, and then it finally hit him. He took a step back, appearing to be uneasy.

* * *

Polnareff took a step back, shaking his head as he looked upon his sister. She appeared to be rotting, stumbling towards him as she screeched his name. Polnareff continued to back up until he tripped, falling back into the elevator which had appeared behind him. Inside was utterly filthy, rusty, decrepit as the doors slammed shut, the elevator plummeting at incredible speed as he crashed at the bottom floor. He whimpered as he could hear his sister's screeching from up above, echoing through the elevator shaft. The doors opened, Polnareff shakily getting to his feet as he witnessed an even more deteriorated corridor. Bugs crawled on the walls. Slime seemed to seep and ooze from the walls. From the other end of the corridor, he heard something metallic scraping. He flinched and trembled at the filth and crawling creatures around him, finally approaching the end where he stopped. He shook his head slowly, a lump forming in his throat. Strapped to a wheelchair which he tried to roll forward in vain, was himself. A wheelchair chained to a wall, he looked upon himself malnourished, frail, wheezing as he seemed to wither away more by the second. Polnareff clenched his teeth as he looked upon this horrific reflection present before him.

"What the fuck is this?! What the hell are you?!" Polnareff screamed. He slowly watched himself lift his head, his jaw tightening more when he saw his emaciated face- thin, hollow, almost dead, his eyes rotted holes. "I said what the hell are you? How did you get me to this place?!"

The horrific counterpart tilted his head a moment before slowly opening his mouth, a shrill cry piercing the air as insects and snakes spewed from his mouth and eyes.

* * *

Young Anne bit her lip worriedly as the conditions of the adults before her continued to deteriorate. "Did you feed them drugs or something? Hey. I'm talking to you!" She exclaimed, pulling Chibi's hands from her face. They're my only ride so you better start talking!"

"I can't stop it!" Chibi cried. "I can't control it no matter what I do! The cold man found me and he promised to help me control the red light so that it won't hurt my mommy and daddy!"

"Well, what the hell is it doing to them?!" Young Anne exclaimed.

* * *

Kakyoin continued to scream as he was forced into a hospital gown. Then, his father approached with a buzzer.

"This just won't do…" He mumbled as he began to shave Kakyoin's hair as he felt something being strapped around him, constricting his movement.

"And now you're all tucked in, dear… now the nurse can arrive and she'll take care of the rest." His mother smiled, her eyes still black voids as they exited the room.

"No! Mom, dad, why are you doing this?! Come back!" He screamed, grunting as he tried to free himself to no avail. He froze when he heard the door open, a nurse entering as faceless children came inside, their soft, freakish giggling surrounding him as they seemed to watch. He remained still as he stared at the nurse's face. "… Anne…?"

* * *

"DIO!" Anne screamed as she tried to hoist herself out of the mud, only to be pulled back down by her chain.

"Soon you will cry my name in a manner more akin to my liking." He smirked. "You have nothing… no one… come now, Anne… is it not time to join what you cannot defeat?" He crouched down, offering her his hand. She glared at it, curling her lip before screaming, wrestling the sinister vampire into the mud.

"I… am not… afraid of you!" She cried, strangling him. As he choked, a red light glowed from within his eyes, blinding her for a moment. When she blinked them open, in his place was the one whose hand had grabbed at her before. "Jean?" She grunted, hoisting his body from the mud. "Jean, can you hear me?" She looked down at her former lover, slowly shaking her head. "No. This is a trick. You are all already dead, this-" She turned to look at the tree. Where her family had been, now was her newest friends. Her brows furrowed as the chain around her neck began to pull from within the mud. "Noriaki?! J- Joseph-!" She screamed as she was pulled into the mud, her hand the only thing still surfaced after a few moment's time.

* * *

Kakyoin inhaled sharply. "You have to help me out of here. Anne, we've been trapped."

Anne looked up, shushing him as she sat beside him. "Hush now. I'm going to give you exactly what you need." She smiled before getting up. Kakyoin's eyes followed her unsurely as she began to attach nodes to his head. "Anne… what are you doing?"

"If you're good… I'll give you a kiss." She smiled, going over to flip a switch. Kakyoin clenched his jaw as electrical currents surged into his head, crying out. As soon as it began, it ended, panting for air. "Brains are simple to control after all, you see… what do you think creates that… wonderful feeling? You know of what I speak." She chuckled when Kakyoin looked up at her with fearful confusion, swallowing thickly as his skin became shiny, sweat rolling down the side of his head. "You know what's right, but you can't ignore what you see, can you?" She asked, leaning down to kiss him. It was a small, lingered, teasing kiss. He couldn't resist nor pursue it if he tried, unable to move. "If you're good, you'll get another."

"A- Anne… something is wrong-" He was cut off by her finger.

"There is something wrong with you. You see things that… do not belong. When we're through, you won't see anything." Anne replied.

* * *

Joseph heard the sickening sound of something tightening in the darkness, constricting someone's breath. He followed the sounds of the choked scream until he finally found the source. "Holly!" He cried, gasping when the vines hoisted her into the air.

"You're too late."

"You had the chance to be there. Now the chance is gone."

"Blinded by your own arrogance. All your life you've taken everything for granted."

Joseph turned, trying to identify the voices until he finally spotted a small boy holding a lantern. Thorn vines began to shoot up from the ground, restraining him. Three hooded figures emerged from the darkness, each holding someone with a scythe to their neck.

"No… Ceasar?" Joseph whispered. The first reaper sliced his neck open. "No!" He cried, trying to free himself. The second shoved his wife forward, Joseph's face twisting with agony as her throat was also sliced open. The third shoved a young man forward, who fell upon his knees.

"For the mistakes you have so carelessly committed, your inaction. This is your redemption." A voice spoke before yanking the hair back of the young man to reveal it as himself, his throat being sliced. "Now you will suffer like those before you."

Joseph suddenly couldn't breathe, the thorns lifting him up so he was face to face with his daughter. Her own vines were crushing her trachea, but there was not a thing he could do about it.

* * *

Jotaro tried to scream. He tried to shout. He tried to emit some morsel of sound as the unending crowd of schoolgirls began to screech and cry inhumanly, their faces warping and contorting. The jazz music was now just a garble of incoherent banging of instruments and run-on sentences. He was completely frozen to the stage, unable to move a muscle. The girls began to crawl onto the stage, their spindly fingers grabbing at his jacket, his hat, his pants, tearing at it like vicious beasts. Only Jotaro's eyes could move, his heart rate increasing. He never felt this helpless in his life. What had paralyzed him? This was not who he was. This was not how he handled things. This was not going to be his end.

He felt the energy concentrating. How could one overcome such a powerful force, the physical constriction and presence of fear? Fear. It was not something Jotaro was familiar with, and he was not going to become acquainted with it now. The girls began to screech with laughter as they viewed him in nothing but his underwear. He was getting pissed. He was getting sick of this game. He was not going to give into whatever sick hallucination this was.

In that moment, the screeching stopped. Everything stopped.

His finger had moved.

All around him, everything began to crack, a red light coming from within them. He began to hear a voice echoing all around him.

"Jotaro… Jotaro, can you hear me?!"

Just then, the red light overwhelmed him until it became a blinding white. That was until something obscured it.

"Hey, snap out of it!" Young Anne shouted, slapping his face.

"What the fuck- Hey, alright, alright!" Jotaro shouted, shoving the teen aside. "I'm up." He said a bit calmer, brushing himself off and noticing he was back in the cliffs, his clothes and hat unscathed along with himself. He felt a bit dizzy as he got to his feet.

"How did you get out of… whatever that was?" Young Anne asked.

"The hell are you talking about?" He then noticed Chibi approaching him slowly.

"How did you do it? How did you make the red light go away?" She asked quietly.

"The two of you stop asking stupid questions and-" Jotaro turned around, raising a brow when he saw the state of the others. "The hell is wrong with them?" His eyes traveled to the red light hovering above them.

"Don't ask stupid questions." Young Anne made a face, sticking her tongue at him.

"Good grief…" Jotaro sighed. "So that's what happened… we were all hallucinating. Not much either of us can do. I tried to make Star Platinum appear but it didn't happen. We don't have a choice but hope they figure it out like I did."

"Well, how did you do it?" Young Anne asked as Jotaro stared at his friends with a calm gaze.

* * *

Joseph choked as the thorn vines constricted his airway, clenching his jaw as he watched the vines around his daughter tighten. His arm was outstretched, just out of reach as he struggled.

"It's no use. You've neglected her for too long. You've neglected all of us." Caesar said from below as Holly began to wither away, still laying on the ground with his throat slit open. "Your grandson, whom you were never there for, will be without his mother… and it's all your fault.

"I… didn't… I… love them…" Joseph choked out.

"Really… is this why you continue to betray us?" Caesar chuckled. "You try to ignore something for long enough, it will grow like a weed. Soon, it completely takes over and squeezes the life from you."

Joseph glanced back, beginning to see spots. As he did so, his eye caught something that he knew wasn't a trick.

The Ruby necklace around Caesar's neck.

Joseph was no fool. He may have been getting older, but he knew of something he had been in possession of for about half a century. Using all the strength he could muster, he grabbed one of the vines, yanking it and tearing it away. He began to do the same once he gained a bit of movement to the ones around his neck.

"Now I can finally speak, Caesar… or are you?! You're dead! You are an imposter!" Joseph shouted.

"Me, an imposter? Would you say the same of your family, or are your eyes deceiving you as you have done so many times before!" Caesar laughed.

"No, my eyes aren't deceiving me…" He snatched the necklace off of Caesar, holding it as he gasped, groping where it had been. "You're a fake. Caesar Zeppeli died fifty years ago and I have kept this ever since. This is not real and I demand to see my grandson-" He stopped when red light began to shine from the necklace, looking around as everything began to crack and crumble around him, red light coming from the cracks. He was blinded momentarily before he rubbed his eyes, groaning as he sat up.

"Old man. Can you hear me?"

"Huh…? Jotaro? Oh, thank goodness I found you!" Joseph exclaimed.

"No, you were here the whole time. You overcame whatever trance this stand put us under." Jotaro said, helping his grandfather to his feet, wobbling a bit. When he was confused, Jotaro turned him around to show the state of Anne, Kakyoin and Polnareff.

"Oh my God…" Joseph widened his eyes. "What's happened to them?"

"The stand belongs to that girl who was with the speed demon. Apparently she has no control over it." Jotaro said. "So until they snap out of it, we're stuck."

"They don't have much time…" Chibi said then.

"What do you mean?" Joseph asked.

"My stand makes us feel the worst things… being scared, or hurt, or sad… sometimes it's so bad that there's nothing you can do… the feelings get worse and worse until you feel like dying." Chibi frowned deeply.

"So that's how this stand attacks… it emotionally drains us until we feel too exhausted to go on… that's why I feel so dizzy still!" Joseph exclaimed.

"The longer they hang around in their heads, the worse it gets. Look at them, they're becoming more lethargic by the second." Jotaro said.

* * *

Kakyoin bit his lip as Anne let up from kissing him again. "Why do you think you're here, Noriaki? Do you believe that people have control over their lives? We are governed by what fate decides for us. Sometimes you are given some control over yourself, over others. But there is no changing your fate. You were meant to conform to the standards of society and then die. Your soul is rejecting the inevitable. I am giving you what you have wanted but it isn't satisfying, is it? Because there are restraints… limits…" As she said this, Kakyoin winced as his straight jacket grew tighter. "… of which you cannot escape from. The sooner you understand this, the sooner you will finally be like them, as it should be. You will not longer feel sadness or disappointment, but joy that you are finally serving those which have given you this wonderful gift… nurture you. Or… you can continue to resist… and the life will be squeezed from you until you can never be fixed." Anne smiled smugly, petting his face. "So… ready for another kiss then?"

Kakyoin looked over into the mirror, no longer seeing his child self, but seeing himself as he was in reality. In the reflection, he had no restraints, bound to nothing, no others present. He slowly looked up at Anne.

"Certainly." He said with new determination.

Anne chuckled. "You will learn soon enough, Noriaki." She said as she leaned down.

"No… I think I already have." He growled as he craned his head forward, biting her lip when she came close enough. She whimpered, trying to pull away. As they struggled, a small side table of tools fell over, sending objects flying. The faceless children began to back away as Anne finally managed to tear away, her lip bleeding. "You're not her. You are an emotionless copy like they are. You're not going to turn me into what you are. I am Noriaki Kakyoin and I know who I am."

Anne began to gasp and wheeze, the mirror cracking from being impacted. As it did, Anne did the same, red light emitting from the cracks. The more severe it became, the louder she screeched before Kakyoin was blinded by white light. He inhaled sharply as he sat up, regretting doing so when everything began to spin. He felt someone hoist him up, keeping him steady as he adjusted.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Well, as I said earlier, there is a lot of jumping around going on; each protagonist is dealing with their own battle. It has been rare in the series where a character through season three (aside from perhaps Jotaro a few times) has been forced to deal with an opponent without a group effort. Being forced to overcome something personal to them, I feel, has given Revolver and I the opportunity to really dig a bit deeper into each character and flesh them out a bit more. I hope you all enjoyed our insight for this chapter, and the next update will conclude the standoff against Birthday Massacre. Will the remaining protagonists prevail? Find out next time, and thank you again for reading!**


	12. If I Die Before I Wake: Part Two

**Happy Saturday, readers! I hope you enjoyed the introduction of mine and Revolver's next OC stand user, and that you are anticipating what happens next! This chapter will be the conclusion of this standoff, so prepare yourself for what's to come! Thank you to those who have shared your thoughts, so please this next update!**

* * *

"Jotaro…" Kakyoin muttered once he was able to speak. "What-"

"It was a stand. You were trapped, right? And you couldn't fight back with your own. It happened to all of us."

"Oh… where's –"

"The old man managed to snap out of it. The other two… not so much yet." Jotaro said.

Kakyoin turned around, seeing Anne muttering as she lay on the ground, barely moving or breathing. Polnareff was whimpering as he crawled around. "Anne…" He stumbled over to her, gently shaking her. "Anne, Anne, can you hear me?"

"It's no use…" Chibi said with a frown as Kakyoin looked over at her. "You can't wake her up."

"Why… why are you doing this to them? Anne risked her life to save you!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"I can't stop it…" She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she shut them. I'm sorry… I wish I never ever saw the red light!" She cried.

"She can't control her stand." Joseph clarified to Kakyoin. "Dio found her in China when she ran away from home promising to help her so she could go back to her parents… but of course, there is a price to pay with him."

"And that price is us." Jotaro growled.

* * *

Anne continued to writhe as she was dragged deeper into the mud, trying desperately to keep her head above the surface. She gasped for air, trying to grab something, anything to pull herself up with.

 _"Why did you do this to us…?"_

 _"I told you to stay, I told you to hide in the shadows and keep us safe…"_

 _"You threw our lives away… we did not deserve this…"_

 _"I never had a chance to see my child… she never had a chance to live…"_

The voices continued to swirl around Anne as her family appeared in the mud, drawing near. With hands outstretched, they began to try to push her down into the mud.

 _"Now you may hide forever…"_

 _"Suffer… writhe… never know peace, for we will never know peace again."_

 _"You brought this upon us. You brought this upon yourself. You do not know your place. You thought you were strong, but you are weak. We must obey his will for eternity. We have joined the many who went against him. We all endure the punishment for our sins. But you will suffer the greatest punishment. You will have every basic liberty stripped from you. You will forget every goodness you ever experienced or ever hope to experience."_

Time seemed to slow for Anne, the hands overwhelming her as she felt her muscles beginning to ache. Her eyes wandered to the tree, seeing her friends in peril as they continued to twist and writhe. Adrenaline flooded through her veins, using all her strength to drag herself through the mud towards it. She pulled herself using the trunk, watching as her muddied family continued to pursue her. She wrapped her hands around the chain on her neck, screaming as she broke it off, tossing it down into the mud. A light began to rise behind her suddenly, turning to see the sun rising. As it did, the mud surrounding her began to crack and dry up, the sound of her family screeching piercing her ears.

"If there is a God… He would not have placed you here. And if they were, then I need not worry… if there is no God, then they are no longer my family. My family remains in my heart, and there they will remain!" Anne shouted, the sun appearing like a great red light in the sky. The world around her faded, the one her body was in reappearing as she came to. "Bloody hell…" She hissed, about to stand up when her knees gave. She felt someone catch her, looking up to see a familiar face.

"Anne… you're alright." Kakyoin smiled. "Here, just… sit up for now."

"What took you so long to snap out of it? You're usually quicker with these things." Jotaro smirked.

"Must be getting rusty." Anne chuckled softly. Joseph approached, smiling softly as he knelt down, explaining to her what was going on. She glanced over at Polnareff, frowning under her mask. "So there is no way to wake him by our own effort?"

"No. We all had to break out of it ourselves." Jotaro said. "He doesn't look good. If he doesn't figure it out soon this stand is going to kill him."

"I could use my Asp of Mercy to help him."

"I don't think so… his injuries are not physical, but mental and spiritual. It is why we cannot use our stands, because this stand delves deep into our souls to deplete us of willpower and life." Joseph said.

* * *

Polnareff's voice cracked as he screamed, wires and tubes wrapping around his arms and legs and pulling him onto a filthy gurney. As this was happening, he hissed as insects crawled on him, foul odors filled the stagnant air, varmints scurrying as the pitter patter of their feet sent chills through his spine. He craned his head to see his deteriorating self groaning lowly, his hollow eyes staring through his soul as he slowly crawled, dragging himself across the floor by his arms as if his legs were dead weight. He was so focused on him that he failed to notice that something had approached behind him. He looked up to see a woman who seemed familiar gently pet his face, shushing him.

"Now now, ma petite Jean… from the moment we are born, we die. Slowly, painfully, agonizing. Everything in this world is slowly eating us alive. Anything beautiful and pure eventually rots away. Don't cry, my Jean… don't cry for me. You'll be with us soon."

Jean tilted his head back on its crown to catch a glimpse of the woman as she walked around the gurney.

"M- Mama…?" Polnareff's eyes widened.

"Yes, my sweet." She now stood in front of him, her back turned. "Yes… you'll be with us soon." When she turned, Polnareff did everything in his power not to vomit. Her entire abdominal area was completely torn open in the goriest way possible, organs spilling out as they dragged and dripped onto the floor. "I told you not to cry for me, Jean… death is a part of life. I died so your sister could live. Is she beautiful now, Jean? Is she fair and kind like she was meant to be raised?"

"N- No… no, please, don't make me say it, please stop this! Help me, someone save me!" Polnareff shrieked.

"… That is what she cried, isn't it?" His mother said darkly. "You weren't supposed to let her walk by herself. Girls should never walk unaccompanied. But you did. The only part of me… the part I died for… is gone now." She said as she began to wither. "You were too preoccupied… you did this to us. You killed us. You will kill everyone around you."

"M- Mama, why are you saying this?! I never asked for Sherry to get hurt, I never asked for her to die! I never asked for anyone to die!" Polnareff screamed.

"Death is a part of life. And your life is worth nothing. You will writhe and rot in this filth, this hell, until there is nothing left. No one cares about someone as stupid as you."

"M- My friends do! How could you say this to your own son, how could you let me suffer, what kind of mother are you-"

"You have no friends. They've all left you here. They've all forgotten you."

"That's not true! You're not my mother! I may have been little but I remember her, she was beautiful and kind and took care of me! She sung to me at night, and when she died, she gave me Sherry, she left her as a gift for me! That's why when she was taken from me I vowed to stop at nothing to avenge her, to make her proud because she loved me! That's all I care about, doing the best I can for the people who love me and who I love back! My friends- no, my family! Mr. Joestar, Jotaro, Kakyoin, and Anne!" He inhaled sharply, catching his breath from his outburst. When he opened his eyes, he gasped. His withered self had crawled halfway onto the gurney, having frozen just inches from stabbing his eye with a filthy needle. However, the needle began to crack, the stagnant blood inside beginning to glow red. He looked on with confusion, everything beginning to crack around him as red light shone through. Soon, he was blinded, crying out as he laid flat on his back, feeling hard, dry ground underneath him and a cool breeze caress his face. He blinked his eyes a bit until they were obscured by the darkness of Anne's hood.

"His pupils are shrinking. He's returning to us." She said to the others as they approached to inspect him.

"He looks pretty bad… it seems like he barely just made it." Joseph frowned.

"Ew, he's all sweaty…" Young Anne curled her lip as Jotaro rolled his eyes.

"Good grief… hey, Polnareff. Can you hear any of this?" He asked.

"Ugh… hey, I'm… I'm not in that place anymore… I'm back here…"

"Just take a moment to collect yourself." Kakyoin said. "Don't try to sit up or stand too fast." He took a canteen of water from Joseph, using some to cool his forehead and chest, Anne helping him to drink some. After a few minutes, the Frenchman mustered enough strength to sit up, rubbing his head. More alert now, he was able to take in what the others told him of what happened and the current situation. Much to their surprise, as soon as he looked at Chibi, his face twisted with white hot rage.

"You little shit! You think you're funny putting us through this trauma, working for Dio, huh?! How much is he promising you, a million, two million?! You think you can do anything with all that money at your age?!" He shouted.

"Jean, for heaven's sake, she's a little girl!" Anne cried.

"Look at what she did to us, she has one of the most powerful stands so far!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"I'm sorry… please, forgive me… he promised if I kill you he would help me control it… it does the same to me… it shows me my mommy and daddy dying, over and over... I just want them to be safe… that's why I told the cold man I would help him… I just want them to live…" Chibi sobbed.

"Anne… she's a little girl… but her stand is too dangerous. You heard it from her own mouth, even she can't control it. There's only one way to end this." He said as he summoned Silver Chariot.

"NO!" Anne screamed, holding his shoulders as she faced him. "Jean, you cannot do this. You must give her a chance!"

"So she can do this to us again?! I won't let her hurt me, I won't let her hurt our friends, I won't let her hurt y-" He hissed, furrowing his brows deeply. "I don't want to consider this but it's the only way-"

"Jean. Let me speak to her. You wanted to atone for Avdol… you wanted to atone for your sister. This is your chance, Jean. She is a little girl who needs our help. Let this be your redemption. You took a life to bring your sister peace… but what would bring her an even greater sense of peace is if you saved one."

Polnareff stared at Anne for a few moments, nodding silently as Silver Chariot retreated. Jotaro put a light hand on his shoulder as Anne turned, gently kneeling before Chibi. The sun began to disappear into the horizon, allowing Anne to remove her mask.

"Don't…" Chibi whimpered. "Birthday Massacre will try to hurt you again… it will try to come out to play."

"Why do you call it that?" Anne asked.

"Because it first came out to play on my birthday… it showed me mommy and daddy being killed." Chibi sniffled.

"Listen to me. I know you are frightened… and you are lost… and you feel as if the whole world is against you… but please, let me help you." Anne said.

"But the cold man said he was the only one who knew how to help me. I don't want to hurt you but he'll only help me if I do…" Chibi whimpered.

"Because he is no good, Chibi. I too know of him, and he tricks people. I'm going to help you and I won't ask for a single thing in return. You were not meant to be used as a weapon. Your stand is a part of who you are… your soul."

"It's scary… it scares me unless I do it to other people…" Chibi said.

"Then make it something good. You said it always shows your parents, right? Think about them. See them in your mind." Anne told her.

"No… no, it'll make me see the nightmare again…" Chibi whined.

"It will only happen if you allow it. Your stand comes from you, not you from it. You have the power to overcome your fear. Once you do that, you can do the same for others."

"But how?! No matter what I do it never stops!" Chibi sobbed. "I don't want to see them like that again!"

"Nightmares aren't real unless you make them real." Anne said, taking the girl's hands. "Nightmares are… just like a movie in our heads. A movie of what we are afraid of. But you can change the movie to something happy. Turn a nightmare into a dream. Chibi, I want you to trust me. Think of your parents. Think of the happy memories you have shared with them. Think of not being afraid for them, but instead how it means you love them, and how they love you." Anne watched as the girl shut her eyes tightly, still trembling as she tried to do what Anne told her. "Think of how happy they would be to see you again. Think of how happy you would be-…" Anne inhaled sharply as she took a moment to compose herself. "… to see them again."

The others watched silently as Chibi slowly began to calm, all but young Anne surprised to see Birthday Massacre emerge… but something changed then. Instead of a red orb of light emerging… it turned green, its energy shifting. Chibi slowly opened her eyes, jumping a bit as she found herself in her house. She looked over to see her father sitting and reading the paper, her mother cooking breakfast. They looked up, the simple but kind looking Chinese couple smiling softly.

"Hello, my little Chibi. Come and have something to eat. We're going to pick some of the harvest together today." Her mother spoke.

Chibi's eyes welled up with tears, but this time, the stand users watched as she ran past Anne, hugging someone she couldn't see. She cried for her mother and father, wrapping her arms around them in the vision her stand was allowing her to see. Anne let out a shaky breath, standing up as she turned her head to hide a few stray tears of her own. The others smiled, Jotaro even managing a small one, as the child began to smile and laugh through her tears. When Birthday Massacre made the vision dissolve, returning her to her true environment, she stared at the floating green orb as she held out her hands, the orb descending until it settled inside her palms, holding it to her chest. She looked at Anne, smiling.

"It's better now." She said, smiling.

Anne nodded, the group collecting themselves before heading to the spare car to drive to the next rest stop. Once there, they arranged for Chibi and young Anne to be picked up together to be taken back.

"Oh come on, do I have to?" Young Anne groaned.

"This is no life for a young lady. You are strong and independent but you are still a child yourself. And believe me when I tell you this… it may not seem like it most times, but boys appreciate more than just a pretty face." Anne said, smirking as young Anne rolled her eyes playfully. "Where we are going, the people we are dealing with is far too dangerous." She said seriously then. "This is far beyond you. This road trip ends here for you."

"Fine, okay…" She replied.

"And I'm counting on you to ensure that Chibi is returned home to her mother and father safely. You must look after her until that happens." Anne added.

"I will, I will…" Young Anne reassured.

"Authorities are coming in the afternoon to pick them up. They'll have to wait here until that happens, but we have to get a move on. We can't wait around with them." Jotaro approached to tell her.

"I understand." Anne replied, the group having driven through the night through the mountain pass. Kakyoin approached, smiling lightly at Anne. He was about to say something when Polnareff moved past him, getting to her first.

"Anne, I… I just wanted to, um… what you did back there… I didn't think that stands could do that… did you… know?" He asked.

"No. But I knew the child had the power to overcome the grip it had over her. And once we defeat Dio, Mr. Joestar's daughter will be able to do the same… quite literally." Anne said.

Polnareff nodded. "Anne… I was… I was wrong about you. I know I've apologized to you before, but… you were right. I see you completely different now… and I'm sorry I didn't see it before. I saw you as a heartless monster in the past, but… I was the one being heartless."

Anne's expression softened. "Pain… losing those who love you, and whom you love… can harden our hearts. I have seen it in myself. I did not want this child to suffer the same fate. She doesn't have to now… but with Dio… he would have turned her into nothing more than a weapon to carry out his wicked deeds. Cold, unfeeling, merciless." Just then, Anne turned when Chibi came up to them, taking Anne's hand.

"I'm going home soon. I'll be able to see mommy and daddy again." She said, smiling.

"Yes, I am very happy to hear that, dear." Anne smiled back.

"But, miss Anne… will I see you again?" Chibi asked. Anne's smile faded a bit.

"I'm not sure about that, sweetheart." She frowned a bit. "There are grown up things that I have to do… things you don't understand."

"But I'll miss you… you helped me when no one else could." Chibi looked at her feet.

Anne glanced over as she felt her black cat rub against her leg. The cat purred as she scooped her up, smiling gently. "Where we're going… it's a bit too dangerous for my little cat here." She said, looking at Chibi. "I'm going to need someone to look after her and give her lots of love."

The child's eyes widened when Anne handed her the cat, smiling widely. "I can keep her?"

"Yes, you may." Anne chuckled when the child cried out happily and thanked her, petting the cat. She gently placed the feline down, taking Anne by surprise when she hugged her waist.

"I'll never forget you, miss Anne." Chibi said. Anne smiled softly, slowly hugging the child back as she tried to prevent a tear from escaping.

"Nor will I you." Anne replied. Polnareff and Kakyoin smiled silently as they watched on. Joseph approached, about to tell them they were ready to go, smiling also at the heartwarming scene. It was hard to say goodbye, but they were eventually said, the group heading onward as they ventured further into Pakistan- and further along their journey to Egypt.

Chibi was therefore, subsequently retired from Dio's forces- she returned to her home in the countryside of China where she had a very happy reunion with her parents. Her stand, Birthday Massacre, no longer drained life force by inducing nightmarish hallucinations, but rejuvenated life force instead by inducing spiritual healing and positive visions. When she reached adulthood, she became a therapist, using her stand to help patients with stress, anxiety and PTSD.

But in the meantime, our heroes still had much more ground to cover before their journey was over.

* * *

As they made their way further into Pakistan, someone who wished them ill spiraled further into defeated and grief-stricken madness. Enyaba, who had been sent to Pakistan from Egypt by Dio to keep track of the group's happenings, sobbed and cried out angrily when she sensed they were still alive and on the move.

"No, no, no! I was so close, so close to ending their wretched lives! My son, my good, loyal son remains unavenged! All I have to live for now is to please Lord Dio, but all the stand users I sent have failed, failed! He will be unhappy with me… no, that cannot happen! Curse them, curse that murderous Polnareff, curse those Joestars, curse that arrogant Kakyoin and his vampire whore! But not to fear, Lord Dio, not to fear… he will be happy when I… Enyaba Geil, destroy them one by one on my own! Oh the praise he will rain upon me!" She cackled. She took out a deck of tarot cards, shuffling them before taking one off the top, flipping it over and placing it down to reveal the High Priest card, smirking. "There is more than one way to destroy someone than by fighting and killing them…" She said as she flipped over another card, placing down the Chariot card next to it. "… When love is used as a means to harm… it destroys the heart from the inside. Silent, but agonizing…" She then took a third card, placing it under them and centered to reveal the Queen of Cups card. "… Yes… they will feel what they took from me when I am through with them… one of them will be scorned as I was when the love of my son was taken from me. The Queen has but one cup to fill with… one shall earn their prize and the other shall remain empty! Then I shall swoop in and ruin the remainder!" She said, flipping a fourth card and slapping it down after she swept the other three away with her hand, the cards scattering as the fourth was revealed to be the Justice card. She cackled all the more as she stared at it ominously, a thick fog beginning to fill the space.

* * *

That afternoon, the group hit the road again after a midday stop, Jotaro adjusting his jacket a bit.

"I can't believe you found a tailor who was able to make a new school uniform that looks exactly like the old one." Joseph commented. "It looks decent enough at least."

"One thing that is undeniable about Jotaro is that he's consistent." Anne smirked.

"I'm so touched." He smirked back at her, emitting a small chuckle.

"Hey Jean, how're you doing with driving? It's getting pretty foggy out." Kakyoin asked.

"Indeed, highly unusual for this sort of thing to happen, especially before late afternoon…" Anne added.

"Just trying to be careful… there's a cliffside right alongside us and no guard rails through this stretch." Polnareff bit his lip.

"Hm… there's a small town up ahead, maybe we can stay there until this passes. We covered a pretty good distance today." Joseph suggested.

"Think they have any good hotels?" Kakyoin asked.

"Would be nice if they had a decent bathroom…" Polnareff muttered.

Jotaro narrowed his eyes, passing by stakes sticking out of the ground, shrunken heads lined along the side. "That's comforting." He said.

When they entered the town, the fog seemed thicker there. "Let's ask around if anyone knows where the nearest hotel is. Polnareff, Jotaro, let me teach you how to say hello in Islamic culture!"

Anne remained behind the group, Kakyoin noticing that she seemed uneasy, even if she did have her mask on. "Anne? Is everything alright?"

"… I'm not getting a very good feeling from this place. Something smells off." She replied.

"It's just a new place… we've done a lot of traveling today. Some rest will do us all some good." Kakyoin reassured, placing a gentle hand on her back. When he did this, Anne looked over, slowly reaching up to take her mask off, otherwise needing it because of the fog.

"Noriaki… perhaps it's just me, but… I can't help but have the feeling that…" Anne's voice trailed off.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" Kakyoin asked.

Anne sighed lightly. "Yes… but Noriaki… I'm wondering if perhaps you-"

"What in the hell happened here?!" Polnareff shouted, snapping the pair out of their conversation as they went over to inspect the commotion. They approached to see the other three staring at what seemed to be a petrified corpse.

"What indeed…" Anne said, kneeling down. "This man was assaulted by something. This was no natural death." She determined.

"Has anyone else in the town seen this?" Kakyoin asked. He looked over, seeing a woman not far from them, walking in the opposite direction as she cradled an infant. "Excuse me?" He called out to her. "There is a dead man here in the middle of the street, you must call the police!"

The woman slowed to a stop, turning around to look at him. Kakyoin stiffened when her face was covered in disgusting, oozing boils, her eyes devoid of emotion.

"Forgive me… my face is becoming infected… why did you call to me?" The woman finally responded.

"I was asking you to call the police, m'am." Kakyoin repeated.

"Police…? Why do you ask this?"

"Look! Just there, this man is dead!" Kakyoin exclaimed, Anne placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Noriaki, she may be more ill than we think. She isn't understanding." She whispered.

The woman continued to mumble to herself, scratching at her face and making Kakyoin cringe as she wandered off. "What is with this town? A person is dead in the middle of the street and no one seems to care!"

Jotaro was extremely suspicious as well, Anne approaching them as they spoke about it. "Joseph, we shouldn't stay here. This place is too ominous."

"We don't have a choice, there's no way we can travel in this fog." Joseph replied.

"That may not be our greatest problem at the moment…" Anne said, looking up as the clouds seemed to form a giant skull in the sky.

"Well, if no one here is going to alert the authorities, we should inspect this body ourselves." Joseph said. He bent down, finding a few things on the corpse's person. "He has a train ticket… he seemed to have been traveling also… hm… he's from India. This currency is Rupees." He searched through his pouch as Anne knelt down.

"Look at this…" She said, pulling down the collar of his clothing a bit to reveal a coin sized circular wound on his neck. Jotaro knelt beside her to take a look.

"A wound this big would have made a shit ton of blood. Where is it all?" He asked aloud.

As they all remained silent, Anne stared at the corpse for a moment before ripping off his top, tossing the garment aside to reveal similar wounds all over his chest and torso. The others gasped in horror, Jotaro clenching his teeth. "What happened to his body?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"These are no ordinary injuries." Anne said as Joseph went away from the group. "This is undoubtedly the work of a stand user."

"But why attack this man? What gain do they have from it?" Kakyoin asked.

"Why do any of the stands we encountered attack people, torture, kill them? Look at J. Geil, Noriaki." Anne said, Polnareff looking at her. Unknown to them, in the fog, another was listening. "He took an innocent girl's life. No reason or motive other than to satisfy his sick fantasies, some twisted pleasure, just the same that Dio had in slaughtering my family." Their faces softened.

"Anne…" Polnareff approached her then, Kakyoin looking on with surprise when he took her hand. "You helped me against J. You helped me to avenge my sister. I already said I promised to help you avenge your family, and I intend to keep that promise. For everything you've done for me, even when I said those horrible things to you… I will help you to kill Dio and return what you've given me."

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And we'll end it here for now, readers! So, what did you think of Chibi's conclusion? I thought it would be nice to have one of the "enemy stands" end on a positive note, and Chibi was the perfect opportunity to do so. I hope you all feel the same, but please share your thoughts in a review! Don't forget that her and Birthday Massacre's stats are in the chapter just before this one.** **I think many of you know what is ahead, but as you may have already seen a pattern, will it transpire the same way? Once again, thank you all for reading, and stay tuned for the next update!**


	13. The Cost of Justice: Part One

**Good afternoon, readers! I am back sooner than planned because I have a long work week ahead- so, Revolver and I decided it would be best to give you an update today before leaving you hanging for about a week. Think you can handle it? As you can see, this will be another two parter, so be prepared, for as you have already seen, Enyaba has a few unpleasant tricks planned for our heroes! Can they defeat her? Again, Jojo fans know what happens... but it may not happen the same way you're accustomed to! So, without further ado, please read and enjoy!**

* * *

In the thick fog, Enyaba growled. "So there it is, proclaimed for all to hear… I'll make sure they both pay… but first… I'll let this putrid stew brew first." Her eyes narrowed as she began to hobble forward.

"Come on. We should find a hotel now. It isn't safe out here." Kakyoin said, taking Anne's hand.

"Hey, what gives, I was talking to her!" Polnareff threw his arms up.

"Polnareff, stop shouting. You're going to attract unwanted attention. Although, that may be your ulterior motive." Kakyoin spat.

"What's that supposed to mean?! I don't like this sudden attitude!" Polnareff shouted.

"You also apparently don't like to listen. If you did more of that, you wouldn't put yourself and others in trouble." Kakyoin curled his lip.

"Noriaki." Anne shot him a look. "That's enough."

"I'm sorry. I can't just forget how he treated you in the past."

"We're past that now. Nothing good will come from engaging in an argument." Anne said. Polnareff sighed at this, scuffing his foot. He did feel pretty awful for his past treatment of her. Besides the fact that sometimes he forgot how beautiful she was-… yes, she was beautiful, wasn't she? Unearthly, almost. But there was more to her than just beauty. Perhaps that intimidated him at times.

"You're right." Kakyoin looked ahead to see Joseph speaking to a short, elderly woman. "Who is that?"

"I don't know." Anne said, approaching as Joseph informed them that she was offering a group discount at her hotel.

"Yes, yes… come come, see? The police are taking care of that body… what a terrible first impression. You all look like you need some rest. Come make yourselves home, just follow me." Enyaba said, hobbling towards the hotel. As they made their way, she bragged about it, trying to not seem suspicious. However, Anne was staring at her oddly, and the old woman's face tightened as she felt her eyes on her. "So, young girl…" She addressed Anne without looking at her. "… how does a lucky young woman find herself among such handsome men, hmm?"

"This is a business trip, m'am, not one of pleasure." Anne replied.

"Hm… ah, here we are, Mr. Joestar, the hotel is just up that way." Enyaba said.

"Hang on." Jotaro stopped. "How did you know his name?"

Enyaba froze, thinking quickly. "Oh, well I heard this young man say it back there, of course! I'm very quick with learning names." She said, motioning to Polnareff with her bandaged hand.

"Me? I don't remember if I did or not, but… I must have! By the way… what happened to your hand, madame? He asked.

"Oh, this? No worries, it was just a small burn while cooking." Enyaba waved him off.

"If you will allow me, I can treat that for you." Anne said, raising a brow.

"N- No, thank you, thank you, what a sweet girl… I have it under control, please, I am here to accommodate you! Yes, what a nice young lady you are!" Enyaba forced herself to say as they headed in. On the inside, she was thinking the worst thoughts possible against the pair.

The group approached the counter as Enya went behind it to check them in. Anne remained extremely vigilant of the old woman. Something was off about her, but she couldn't make an exact determination as to what it was. One thing she did observe was she noticed the old woman's eyes kept gravitating to one person in particular.

Polnareff.

Feeling uncomfortable with this action, she felt that she needed to keep a close eye on him. This whole town was ominous itself, but the fact that this crotchety old hag seemed to come out of nowhere and may have been putting on some kind of act, she was not going to ignore the fact that Polnareff could be in some kind of danger. As she thought quickly, Enya flipped open a very old, dusty book, coughing a bit.

"Now then… how many rooms will you all need? There are plenty to spare, so not to worry." She asked.

"Doesn't look like there's too many guests here, but such a spacious building!" Joseph noted. "Alright then, everyone can have their own room, so we'll take five rooms-"

"- Actually, I'll be spending the night with Jean. We're to be engaged soon, you see, so it won't be improper. Four rooms, if you please, m'am." Anne said as she loosely coiled an arm around one of Polnareff's. As she did this, Kakyoin choked, looking over at them absolutely flabbergasted. Joseph widened his eyes in shock, Jotaro leaning back a bit as he raised a quizzical brow. Polnareff himself had his mouth slightly agape, having no idea whatsoever how to respond. He felt his heart skip a beat when her hands made contact with his arm. Since when was Anne's skin so soft? Was it okay to think this way? Would she kill him if he knew? Hell, he wasn't complaining right now. "They're still in shock you see, he only made the announcement a few days past. He hasn't even afforded a ring yet, but he is quite eager to be sure. It's touching, really." Anne smiled.

Enya forced a smile, but on the inside, she was seething. "Well, congratulations to you both! Such a wonderful thing to see a nice young couple getting ready to settle down… yes, three singles and a double then, very good, yes…" She scribbled down in the book. 'Curse that wretched vampire whore! She has a wit about her but who does she think she's fooling?! She must suspect I have something out for that bastard Polnareff… curse her, curse them all!' She thought to herself. "Alright then, all set! Now just head up these stairs to the third floor, here are your keys… yes, now make yourselves comfortable and enjoy your stay!" She said, ushering them up.

After she descended the stairs, Polnareff stuttered a bit as Anne practically dragged him into their room, closing and locking the door. She shut the window and locked it, drawing the curtains, putting a low light on. She threw off her cloak, opening up her skin tight jacket as she pushed him back to seat himself on the bed.

"A- Anne, um… look, you are a beautiful woman, and I like where this is going, but maybe we should-" Polnareff's eyes widened when she took out a hunting knife, holding it out in front of him.

"You keep this on your person for the entirety we are here." She said, sheathing it in its holder before handing it to him. "You are not to leave this room unless you are escorted by me. That old woman has had an eye out for you since we've arrived."

"Oh, come on! She's just a sweet little old lady, there's no way she-"

"Just as Nena was a hopeless romantic, correct?" Anne asked, Polnareff biting his lip. "There's something off about her but I cannot figure out for the life of me what it is. Something about her scent… it has a sort of… nauseating quality to it." She shook her head slowly. "So until we depart this disgusting town you're staying under my watch."

Polnareff sighed, hanging his head a bit. "You know… I'm… glad you're here."

Anne raised a brow. "Well, that's a comfort to know."

"I mean… Avdol tried to look out for me, and… I was a jerk. He died because of it. I don't want to make that mistake again. I already did, but… you're still here."

Anne's expression softened at this. "You're not a bad man, Jean. Oblivious, impulsive, and thoughtless sometimes… but not bad. There's no malice in your heart."

Polnareff looked up at her, chuckling as he smiled softly. To her surprise, he once again took her hand. "You're not bad either. Sometimes you can be bossy, or a mood-killer, or… scary…" He cleared his throat. "… but you're some good things too, I guess." He smirked.

"Oh, you guess?" Anne chucked, raising a brow.

"Hey Anne… what was… he like? Your Jean?" He asked suddenly. Anne's smile faded a bit.

"He… he was so kind-hearted. He never wanted to hurt anyone. He was not meant for war." She sat beside him. "He breathed life into my heart, life that I thought I had lost long before that. But… it only lasted a few precious months before it was stolen from me again."

Polnareff stared at her sitting beside him as she spoke. In this light, she reminded him of a marble statue. On the surface, she appeared perfect. As he had learned however, deep cracks rested underneath. They had both experienced so much loss in their lives. "Anne… maybe… maybe it was fate that we're both here like this."

"Perhaps it is." Anne smiled lightly, Polnareff returning the gesture. Just as he was about to say something else, there was a knock at the door. Anne huffed, about to grab her knife when she heard Kakyoin's voice on the other side. She rolled her eyes, opening the door. "Kakyoin, this isn't a good time-"

"Either I'm coming in or you're coming out." Kakyoin cut her off, glancing past her to shoot a look at one very confused Polnareff.

Anne let her head fall back a moment before looking behind her. "You stay in this room and don't move." Anne said to him. "And lock this door." She said before closing it behind her, following Kakyoin to his room. Polnareff stared after her a moment, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Anne, what in the hell is going on-"

"Sit down." Anne cut him off as she closed his door, telling him of her suspicions.

"So you think she could be a stand user?" Kakyoin asked.

"There is a possibility, yes." Anne replied, looking at him. "You could have played the game a bit better down there… but Noriaki… your heart seems to be revealing itself more and more."

He hung his head a bit at this. "Anne… I can't help what I feel. For the first time in my life I feel understood. I don't feel like an outsider. But… I believe we are- or at least, could be… kindred spirits."

Anne sighed, closing her eyes. "Noriaki… you are young. You have your whole life ahead of you, and… I am more flawed than I seem."

"I don't care about that. I only care about what I feel."

"That is a bad idea." Anne said. "We have priorities here that we cannot lose sight of. We've already seen the consequences of-"

"I'm not Polnareff." He said. "He has a good heart, but I'm not him."

"I know you aren't. So I'm telling you to stop feeling these feelings while you're still ahead. Now I have to get back and make sure-" Anne stopped when Kakyoin took her arm.

"I'm not just someone who just gives up. Anne, you know me. You don't have to keep running away." Kakyoin said.

"Yes I do." She replied.

"Why?" Kakyoin asked.

"Because I've barely known you for a few weeks." Anne looked at him. He was about to say something, but she cut him off. "You're right, Noriaki. You aren't Jean. In a few weeks, you have managed to creep under my skin and into my heart. So… you need to stop saying these things… you need to stop feeling them, because I already care for you."

"So why fight it then, Anne? Why fight something good when-"

"Because everyone I care for ends up dead!" She exclaimed, Kakyoin frowning. "For the first time in what seems like a million years I too no longer feel like an outsider. But then I always have that voice in the back of my mind speaking my greatest fear, to lose it all again. So please, Noriaki… I don't want your life to be snuffed out when you've barely even begun it." She said, moving her arm out of his hold as she made her way to the door, forcing herself not to look back as she closed it behind her. Kakyoin sighed, sitting on his bed and resting his head in his hands.

Meanwhile, Jotaro groaned to himself, rubbing his temples. "Good grief… they're making my head hurt…" He reached in his pocket for his wallet, fumbling a bit as it fell to the floor. Upon picking it up, the corner of a photo stuck out, prompting him to pull it out further to look at it. He sighed when he saw it was a photo of him and his mother when he was in middle school. He didn't remember being that… smiley. An image flashed in his mind of his mother suffering, whimpering as she tossed and turned from being afflicted by her stand. Jotaro hung his head a bit. "Damn women… getting under my skin. Always the ones that aren't as annoying at the end of the day. That annoys me more." He said to himself as he shoved the photo back in his wallet. He fell back, staring at the ceiling. He thought of his grandfather. Even if he were younger, their personalities greatly contrasted from one another. Jotaro felt more comfortable being stoic, quiet, only taking to action or raising his voice when he was pushed too far. His grandfather was what he would call a smartass- boisterous, extroverted. Aside from sharing the same bloodline and the ability to have a stand, they had virtually nothing in common.

Yet even now, as they continued this journey, his grandfather still tried to break the ice, even having going as far as to note that he saw some of Holly in him, despite taking on most of his father's features in appearance.

Jotaro rubbed his forehead. He didn't like thinking this much, and this journey was making him do plenty of that. Questioning himself, his life values, this was far deeper than what he was used to. Not to mention that the different personalities of his new found friends and the emotions they evoked among themselves… couldn't things just be simpler? He supposed that he was going to just have to accept things as they were and as they developed. There was no use fighting something he couldn't change… he would just stick to fighting things that really annoyed him or pissed him off.

Anne opened the door of the room, finding it not only unlocked, but she let her head fall back in aggravation when she saw that Polnareff wasn't inside.

"Anne, is something the matter?" Joseph had been in the hallway, noticing her appearing stressed.

"Yes, apparently Jean forgot how to understand English… I specifically instructed him to stay in this room." Anne replied.

"Oh, I think he went downstairs… said something about hearing a noise. Is everything alright, Anne? You've been acting oddly since we got here… what was that all about in the lobby?" He frowned when she exhaled sharply. "Anne, look at me. If something is wrong, you can trust me. I hope you know that by now." Joseph placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I do trust you, Joseph, but I'm afraid this is too urgent to speak of now. Please stay up here, I need to find Jean as soon as possible. I fear he may be in danger and he's too oblivious to realize it." Anne replied, quickly going over to the stairs. As she descended, Joseph noticed that her feet barely made a sound, even if some of them were a bit rickety.

"Pardon moi? Madame? Are you in here? I think I heard something fall over, or something heavy drop, maybe… is everything alright?" Polnareff called out as he wandered about the ground floor of the hotel. Enya growled to herself, cursing Hol Horse for being splayed out in the middle of the next room where she was hiding, hoping he wouldn't wander in there. She wanted to murder him in cold blood, but she wasn't quite prepared in that moment. When she had the chance though, she knew she would make the cowboy pay for not protecting her son and make him regret ever running into her.

"Jean Pierre Polnareff!" Anne hissed angrily, storming up to him. A part of Enya felt relief, and another felt greater anger for the accomplice of her son's murderer.

"Huh? Oh, bonjour Anne, what are you doing down here?" He asked. "Is Noriaki alright?"

"I should be asking you the same question, you bumbling fool! I told you to stay upstairs!" Anne snapped. "You are coming back with me immediately!"

"Alright, alright… I just want to see what that noise was first." Polnareff answered, and she grabbed his arm, speaking through clenched teeth.

"What… noise…?"

"I heard a loud thud sound… like something big dropping." Polnareff said.

"I will investigate it then. You march yourself back upstairs and-"

"Anne." He stopped her, but he didn't seem angry. "I know you're trying to look out for me, and… like I said before, I appreciate it. I can fight too if I have to. If you're really that worried… we can look around this place together. No more doing things on our own, right?"

As the pair spoke, Enya used her stand to drag Hol Horse under a loveseat. "Very well…" Anne sighed. "It would be lovely however if you simply resolved to listen to me for once."

"Well, you do have a nice voice… when you aren't getting all snippy with me." He smirked, Anne not able to help but return that gesture after shooting him a look. As they turned the corner to enter the next room, Polnareff gasped when he saw Enya on the floor, a couple small things knocked over.

"Oh… ow… my aching back…" Enya faked as she was seen hunched over on the floor.

"Sacre bleu! Madame, are you alright?!" Polnareff asked as he rushed over to her, Anne narrowing her eyes as she watched them carefully. "What happened?"

"Oh, oh… it's nothing, nothing, I just had a little stumble is all, a little misstep… all a part of growing older, nothing to fret over." Enya waved a hand at him.

"Well then, you must be more careful! You could really hurt yourself if you aren't." He said, bending down to try to help the old woman up. As he did, Enya and Anne's gazes met.

'That bastard Polnareff trying to be all coy, who told him he could come in here?! And that skinny bitch, who does she think she is looking down at me?! I hope she roasts in hell!'

'Hm… Jean can be a gentleman after all, for those who it isn't called for. Something isn't right with this woman and it's more than just a feeling. Something doesn't smell right, something about her… blood…' Anne's eyes widened, snapping her out of her thoughts when she captured a scent. She had been so focused on Polnareff helping the old hag that she neglected to notice it earlier. Enya watched with growing dread as Anne wandered further in the room, searching for something.

"Oh, did you need help with something, dear?" Enya said, using all her willpower to put on a polite act.

"M'am… did you happen to cut yourself at all when you fell? You didn't… bleed?" Anne asked.

"Oh… perhaps I might have, I'm not too sure…" Enya answered, her voice wavering. 'Curse that feisty slut! How could I be so careless?! She's a vampire, she's going to track that idiot Hol Horse and blow my cover!'

"Madame, you're sweating. There's no need to be nervous." Polnareff said, snapping Enya's attention back to him. "You know, I still can't believe you run this huge hotel all by yourself… you don't have any family or relatives who would be willing to help you, like a son? Someone like that would be able to handle some of the upkeep here so you wouldn't have to be so overworked?"

"Oh… no, I'm used to being alone." Enya said through a clenched jaw, her anger boiling over the top.

"Just imagine if you did have a son… if he were married and had children, this would be the perfect place for a family! Very spacious! Maybe noisy, but families are wonderful. I sometimes wish I was a part of a big family. Do you have any children, madame?"

Enya was seething. She wanted so badly to just gut Polnareff right there, rip his heart out and incinerate it. She was so distracted by her anger however, that she forgot to monitor Anne as she was snooping about, realizing this too late when a gasp filled the room.

"Jean!" Anne called. "It's Hol Horse!"

Polnareff snapped out of his conversation with Enya, having been trying to rub her shoulders to comfort her. "What?! That bastard!" He exclaimed, making his way over when he saw his enemy's condition, coming to a stop. "Woah… Anne, what did you do to him? Did your snake's bites get bigger?"

"I didn't do anything to him… I found him like this. I knew something dubious was going on here." Anne growled.

"What do you mean? Anne, this is a good thing-"

"Our party and one other person are the only people in this hotel, Jean, so go through process of elimination as to who is responsible for this!" Anne exclaimed. She stopped when she heard someone struggling to speak.

"Pretty… lady… get the hell… out of here… both of you… behind-!" Hol Horse wheezed.

Anne growled, kneeling down. "Asp of Mercy." She said, Sekhmet appearing to heal some of Hol Horse's wounds. "You better have not wasted my time and blood, you ridiculous man. Now what is it you're trying to spit out?"

"Don't let her cut you, or else the same thing that happened to me will happen to the both of you!" Hol Horse shouted, pointing behind Anne. She whirled around as Enya tried to stab an unaware Polnareff with a pair of scissors, quickly yanking him out of harm's way so that she was cut instead.

"Now I'll use my stand to control you, vampire whore!" Enya shouted, Polnareff exclaiming with shock.

"Madame, why are you doing this?!" Polnareff cried.

Anne narrowed her eyes, shooting a hand out. Enya gasped, thinking she was going to be attacked. "The adrenaline in your blood… the one ingredient I needed to figure out why it smells so familiar." She grabbed the bandaged hand, unravelling it in one quick motion to reveal the abnormal hand underneath. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it, Mrs. Geil?" Anne spat.

Enya growled. "You're a clever girl, that's for certain… but soon it won't matter! Justice!" She called out, fog surrounding Anne to take control of her through the cut she left on her arm. When nothing happened, her eyes widened when she realized that being a vampire, Anne could heal herself.

"Something not going according to plan?" Anne smirked. "Now then, old hag, if you're finished, perhaps we can do the honors of arranging your overdue funeral."

Enya growled, screaming as she charged at Anne with the scissor. "I'll find a way to destroy you and put YOU in the ground with a stake through your rotten heart!"

"Hey, Polly." Hol Horse whispered. "That little lady's tongue could clip a hedge. I won't ever mess with her again. You uh…?"

"What? Am I what?" Polnareff tilted his head.

"Well, you know… some boys just like to shoot their guns at certain things, make 'em go bang, know what I mean?" Hol asked. Polnareff stared at him in bewilderment. "Come on, you know what I mean, a girl like that could vodeo doe like a bull in a rodeo…" He threw his hands up. "You really are thick headed, Polly! She may be scary as hell but she's still drop dead-"

"Wait just a minute, are you saying that- oh, you are such a womanizer!" Polnareff shouted.

"Me?! Men from France are the biggest womanizers on the damn planet, you probably try to charm every woman you run into!" Hol Horse exclaimed.

"That is NOT true… c- completely!" Polnareff answered back.

"Jean, if you do not get over here and help me put this old crone on a leash I'm going to do just that to you and the Lone Ranger there can take you for a horseback ride!" Anne shouted.

Both men blinked at her in surprise. "Partner… I do not know how she meant that but I don't want to find out." Hol Horse said before shoving Polnareff forward.

"Damn it…" Polnareff balled up his fists. "Mr. Joestar! Kakyoin, Jotaro! If any of you can hear me, we need help down here!"

Enya laughed as suddenly, the doorways were blocked. "It's too late for you now! There's no way you'll get to them because I've summoned these villagers to do my bidding!"

"Jean… the man we saw in the street when we arrived..." Anne pointed out as Polnareff turned, his eyes widening when the dead traveler from earlier opened his top to reveal his hole covered chest. "That's how she controls them… she kills them first and they become her mindless servants!" She exclaimed.

"Very good, very good… yes, that is my stand, Justice! It could control every single dead person in the world if it wanted to!" She cackled.

"Little lady… I hope you're in a killer mood… because every single person in this town here's bit the dust." Hol Horse said as the villagers crowding the doorways began filing in.

"Now my pets… all you have to do is injure them just a bit… but avoid the vampire wretch, restrain her if you can… then I can take control! Seize them!" Enya shouted.

"Run away!" Polnareff shouted, dashing past some villagers and making his way out. Anne hissed as she went to dash after him, Hol Horse finding himself surrounded.

"I can't take them all at once, don't leave me here!" He shouted.

"Screw you, you think I forgot what you did to Avdol? Help yourself!" Polnareff exclaimed as he ran ahead.

Anne stopped as Polnareff managed to get away, glancing back. Growling to herself and rolling her eyes, Hol Horse was about to be torn apart by the mob when he heard commotion from one side, his eyes widening as bodies went flying. He witnessed a large feline clawing at the villagers and tossing them across the room. Distracted by this, he cried out when a hand grabbed him, holding onto his hat as he was dragged away and pinned up against the wall in the next room.

"You keep the ones who are left at bay, am I clear? This is the last time I offer you my assistance." Anne said, her eyes shooting a fierce glance at him.

"O- Okay, okay… much appreciated, pretty lady." He winced when she tightened her grip on his shirt, shakily tipping his hat at her.

"And my name, is Anne." She hissed, shoving him back as she moved quickly to find Polnareff. As Hol Horse heard commotion moving in his direction, he summoned his Emperor.

"Polly, you lucky bastard… get to be around a gorgeous 'gal like that…" He moved off the wall, clenching his teeth as Emperor rang.

Anne turned a corner, growling when she saw Enya chasing down Polnareff. "I'll cut your balls off! I'll kill you dead and avenge my son!" The old woman was heard shouting. She took out her scissors, about to toss them at him.

"Enyaba Geil!" Anne shouted, the woman hissing as she whirled around to face Anne. Polnareff gasped for air as he ran into a standalone bathroom stall, slamming and locking the door behind him. "Polnareff is not the one you seek revenge for!"

"You arrogant, headstrong bitch, he killed my son!" Enya shouted.

As she spoke, she slowly advanced towards Enya, taking one step at a time. "Only by his hand! But when I knew that your son was the murderer of his sister… I whispered in his ear… I planted the seed… to bide his time… to wait for the right setting… and then like a snake, to strike in your son's most vulnerable moment. I was the one who bit him. I was the one who tracked him, lead Jean right to him to deliver him straight to hell's gates!" Anne exclaimed, her fangs glistening in the low light as Enya's breathing became ragged with white hot rage. "I know what it's like to lose someone dear… how the pain eats away at you… but you are so evil… your son, was so evil… that it brings me great pleasure to tell you that it was HIS balls that suffered that day for his sick, twisted act against an innocent girl!"

"YOU BITCH!" Enya shrieked before charging down the hall at her. She managed to stab Anne multiple times with her scissors, but her wounds healed up quickly. Anne summoned Sekhmet, who was able to knock the woman out cold.

Meanwhile, Polnareff winced as he listened to this, worrying as villagers wandered outside the locked stall. "Why do I always get stuck in a bathroom when shit hits the fan! Ugh, this place is a dump!" Just then, he heard sounds of a struggle, the bathroom door flying open seconds later. Polnareff emitted a high pitched scream, falling over. When he found his face inches from a very nasty, unclean toilet, he screamed again, scrambling back and wiping his face, gagging. As all this happened, Anne stared at him flatly.

"Are you quite finished? It could have been worse, you know." Anne crossed her arms.

"Alright, alright, you just scared me is all… you need to stop popping out of nowhere… you do have a point though, I could see that old woman making me lick it or something… blech." Polnareff shivered at the thought.

"And you really need to stop being so jumpy, as well as getting stuck in small rooms. The old hag is down, but she won't be for long. Come on, we have to get the others." Anne said, about to turn when she felt Polnareff take her hand, looking back in surprise.

"That was uh… thank you… for what you did back there. Defending my sister's honor." His expression softened a bit, smiling. Anne nodded in return, the two heading down the corridor.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And we leave it here, folks! So, as you can see, there were a few changes from the original manga/anime, but hopefully they were enjoyed! So, with Anne seeming to be immune from Enyaba's stand, will this be an easy standoff? Or does Enya have another trick up her sleeve? Things will not progress as you may think, and I promise that the standoff will be intense! Until next time, fellow readers, please share your thoughts in a review and any predictions you have for the second half of this part! As always, thank you for reading, and see you next time!**


	14. The Cost of Justice: Part Two

**Good evening, readers! It's been some time, but I have returned with an update! This will cover the conclusion of the standoff against Enya... but bear in mind, it won't be exactly as you're expecting it to be. Will Enya be able to outsmart them? Read on and enjoy! Try not to fall off the edge of your seat!**

* * *

At the sound of Emperor firing on the ground floor, Kakyoin gasped as his pencil clattered to the floor. He flew the door open to see Jotaro making his way towards the stairs.

"I heard it too. I'm going to see what it is." Jotaro said.

"You shouldn't go alone. Someone should go with you." Kakyoin said. "Let me get Anne." He knocked on her room door only to find that no one was inside. "Anne? Anne, are you here? Polnareff? Jotaro, I can't find-" He stopped when he saw he was halfway down the stairs, swearing under his breath. "Jotaro!"

"Stay up here with the old man. If they're down there, I'll find them." Jotaro said, Kakyoin biting his lip as he regretfully stayed behind. Jotaro wandered down to the ground floor, looking around to see nobody about. He remained vigilant, scanning the area as he walked from room to room.

"Ohh… my aching head…" Enya groaned as she sat up. "That blonde wretch… making a fool of me… I'll kill her if it's the last thing I-" She stopped then, slowly looking over at her scissor. She took it into her hands, staring at the drying blood on it.

Anne's.

Her face contorted into a wide smile as she got an idea then, chuckling to herself. Before she could act upon it however, she heard someone descending the stairs from down the hall, cursing to herself as she hurried to inspect who it was. She made her way into the next room, slamming the door behind her just as Jotaro walked in, the two hesitating for a moment before she addressed him.

"Oh, forgive me, I was just doing some cleaning up." Enya said as sweat dripped down her face. "Can I help you, young man?"

"I'm looking for Polnareff. Have you seen him?" Jotaro asked.

Enya thought to herself for a moment before forcing a smile. "Oh of course, of course Jotaro! He went just down this way to use the restroom!"

"Huh. Kind of weird. Why would he come all the way down here to use the bathroom when he has one of his own in his room?" Jotaro raised a brow.

'Oh, damn it! Jotaro isn't a complete moron like Polnareff is! How in the hell am I going to get this persistent son of a bitch off my back?!' Enya thought to herself, quickly coming up with an idea. "Oh, he heard me trip and fall earlier! Such a nice young man he is, yes indeed."

"Well, I'll go find him then. Thanks." He turned, about to head through the door. Enya smirked, about to stab him with the scissors when he suddenly stopped, turning around. "By the way, just one more thing."

Enya had to quickly fumble the scissors behind her back, hoping he didn't see them. "Y- Yes?"

"How did you know my name? Now I know that no one said it out loud in front of you." Jotaro narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, well the guest book of course! Remember, I asked everyone to please sign in!" Enya replied.

"Huh, you're right. You do mean this book, right?" He asked, taking it out of his jacket and opening it up to where their names were. They however, all signed under a different name, having been suspicious from when she knew Joseph's name. "I know you're a stand user, old woman. So come on… might as well reveal it now."

"No need to worry about that, Jotaro… it's already here!" Enya cackled as the door burst open behind him. Instead of her villagers however, Anne and Polnareff stood side by side, Sekhmet and Silver Chariot fading behind them as the hallway was littered with bodies. As Enya widened her eyes in horror, Hol Horse stood at the other end of the corridor with Emperor still smoking from the barrel.

"I'm out of this joint!" He shouted from down the hall, running through another doorway.

Footsteps were heard then, Kakyoin and Joseph appearing in another doorway. "Anne, Jotaro, Polnareff! Are you alright?" Joseph cried.

"We're fine." Anne said. "But someone isn't going to be in about another moment." She proceeded forward. "You have one of two choices, hag. You can either cooperate with us and we will spare your wretched life, or you can try to fight us and lose miserably. What say you?"

Enya glanced around as the group surrounded her. Her face slowly contorted into a wide grin, beginning to cackle maniacally as she whipped out her scissors.

"You really don't learn, do you?" Jotaro clenched his teeth.

"Quite the opposite, actually!" Enya replied. "Why didn't I see it before…?" She said, inspecting the dried blood on it before whipping around, cutting Anne's arm.

"I've already told you, you can't leave a wound upon me, it heals nearly instantly." Anne rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you're more senile than I presumed."

"Oh, I already know that… but there's something you're forgetting…" Enya chuckled. "Feel your chest where your heart is, girl… is it beating? Feel your skin… is it warm? Do you age, or are you frozen in time? Hm… doesn't sound very alive now, does it?!" Enya screeched, Justice emerging as it extended a wispy finger, taking some of Anne's blood from the scissor and closing it in the palm of its thin, barely tangible hand. Before Anne could ask about this, her stance gave as she began to tremble, looking down to see her hands shaking.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? Come on, she's kind of creepy but I can't see you being this scared of that old woman!" Polnareff said.

"I'm not trembling from fear, Jean!" Anne exclaimed, gasping as her back arched sharply, falling to her knees. The group froze in shock as blood began to drip from her nose, eyes and mouth.

Polnareff knelt down by her, unsure of what to make of this. "A- Anne? What's happening to you-"

"ANNE!" Kakyoin shouted, dashing across the room as she slumped to the side, trembling violently as Enya continued to laugh.

"What in the hell did you do to her?!" Joseph shouted. "Hurt me instead, leave the girl alone!"

"Oh, you will all suffer very soon…and you won't have to worry about me doing a thing, because I won't have to! My stand Justice may not be able to inflict wounds on Anne because she is a vampire, but it's figured out that it can use her blood to get inside her veins and constrict all her blood cells! Now that it's thinner than water, she'll eventually have so little sustenance that she'll shrivel up like a dying flower!" Enya proclaimed.

Polnareff looked on in horror as Kakyoin propped her up to a seated position, supporting her with his arms. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Avdol already suffered and died because he gave up his life to save him.

Now, Anne was dying, doing the same thing.

His heart ached more now. Despite the fact that he came to see Avdol as a dear friend, this was different. As he could only stare as she whimpered in agony, he began to feel agony of his own inside of him. What was this? Were his feelings towards her changing again? Was this more than just a tolerance of her presence, a growing appreciation, a closer bond?

Was it something more?

"Anne, you can't give up now. You have to muster all of your strength and fight this! Anne, please! I am not going to let you die!" Kakyoin whipped his head around to look over his shoulder at Enya. "Stop it! Stop making her suffer like this, don't you have the decency to even realize how much pain she's in?!"

"Of course I do… she will suffer like my son did and so will the rest of you very soon! For you see, she's very far from dying… but very close to losing control…" Enya replied.

"Kakyoin. There's something I can do, but you have to make her stand come back out." Jotaro said.

"N- N- Noriaki…" Anne managed to get out, nearly choking on her words. "So thirsty… can't… hold off… much longer…"

"What? Anne, what are you talking about? Anne…" Kakyoin lifted her head so she could look at him better.

"Kakyoin, get away from her." Jotaro said suddenly.

"Absolutely not! Not this time!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Kakyoin, I'm not kidding, the old woman is implying that she's going to-" Before he could even finish, Anne's eyes dilated, opening her mouth wide and hissing as she tried to lunge at Kakyoin's throat. At the same time, Polnareff and Jotaro dove forward, Jotaro grabbing Kakyoin and Polnareff grabbing Anne, keeping a tight grip on her arms as she quickly deteriorated into something akin to a wild animal. Joseph put a hand to his mouth, his eyes widening.

Enya had reduced her to this. Everything that Anne didn't want to be, to become. He was frozen, unable to even speak as he witnessed the horrific scene playing out before him.

"No, Anne!" Kakyoin cried, clenching his teeth as Polnareff wrestled to keep her in his grip.

"I can't keep a good hold on her, she's too strong! She's gone completely feral!" Polnareff shouted, wincing as she broke free from his grip, whirling around to shove him against the wall, sinking her teeth into where his neck met his shoulder. Polnareff cried out, his hands wrapping around Anne's arms and gripping her shoulders in an attempt to push her off. "Ah! She's… going to bleed me dry!"

"Hahaha! Now you can all watch your precious vampire whore kill you all one by one! Then I'll make her suffer until she turns to dust!" Enya cried happily. "No matter how much of your filthy blood she drinks, she won't be nourished!"

"Old man. Keep Kakyoin with you and standby." Jotaro said, passing his friend's arm to his grandfather to hold the red-head back. Jotaro walked over to the other side of the room, summoning Star Platinum. The powerful stand tore Anne away from Polnareff, who stumbled a bit. Polnareff could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Anne biting him had seemed like it lasted for a fraction of a moment, feeling a mixture of fear, and… he couldn't quite determine what this other feeling was. Was it fascination? An odd thing to feel when someone was draining the life from you.

Kakyoin broke away from Joseph to help Polnareff up, putting an arm around his shoulders as he walked him back to the other doorway. Star Platinum slammed Anne's back against the wall, pinning her there and making a large indent where she made contact with it.

"Anne. Look at me." Jotaro said, maintaining a serious but calm expression. "Anne, you need to listen to me, right now. This is not you. You are stronger than this. She can only control you for so long if you let her. Get your stand out, and finish this. I've seen you fight. I've seen the person you are. You're one of the few people I've met who've impressed me. So do that right now. When I let go of you, this will either end with us all walking out of here, or I'm going to have to kill you."

The rest of the group watched with bated breaths as Star Platinum let up, Anne's eyes still dilated as she breathed raggedly. She slowly looked up at Jotaro, her head tilting a bit before closing her eyes, rolling her head a bit. When she opened them, they remained dilated, growling lowly as she bore her fangs. She gripped his left arm with her right hand, but did not attack him. Jotaro stood poised, unwavering, until to his surprise, she slowly and shakily pushed him to the side. She took slow, stiff footsteps until she stood before Enya.

"You truly are headstrong, aren't you girl? You cannot accept your fate even when it's spelled out for you. Don't you see that you cannot defeat Justice?!" Enya exclaimed.

"You're… right…" Anne choked out as she stared at her, shaking violently. "… speak for yourself… and your dead son… hag." Anne spat as Enya glared at her. "Now you will endure… its deliverance." Anne shakily extended a hand, clenching it. "Sekhmet… Dark… Sandstorm!"

Just then, the lights in the room began to flicker, a weakened version of the attack swirling around Anne's own body. She was heard whimpering, Enya's smile fading when she noticed something suddenly begin to mix within the dark sand.

Justice's fog.

"What is this, what is she doing?! Justice, make her rip their throats out-" Enya shouted when suddenly, she was flown into the air, spinning about the room as Justice was whipped about in Sekhmet's dark sandstorm. Anne trembled as she used all the strength she could muster to maintain her stance, clenching her teeth as Enya collided with walls and beams within the room. The others watched in shock, having to duck every now and then. Once Enya was no longer able to put up any sort of defense, the storm dissipated, Anne stumbling back as she gasped. Her pupils were not as dilated now, Jotaro moving forward to quickly catch her as she collapsed. Enya dropped to the ground with a thud, knocked out cold and unable to put up a good fight for some time.

"Anne!" Kakyoin cried, having Joseph help support Polnareff as he dashed over to where she was. Jotaro watched as Kakyoin took hold of her, shaking her lightly. "Anne, you did it! You managed to overcome her stand!"

"She was brilliant." Joseph said. "For her as a vampire to overcome blood lust that strong, to still have enough strength to do that…" He remarked, his voice fading as Polnareff just stared in amazement. Even Jotaro was impressed. Deep down, despite what he said, he would have never wanted to kill Anne- but he was willing to say anything to motivate her to push through Enya's grip on her.

"You have to wake up now, we can get you to a hospital so you can feel better." Kakyoin said, his smile fading when she wasn't responding to him. "Anne…" Kakyoin patted her face as he furrowed his brows. "Anne, the hard part's over, you can recover from this now…"

The celebratory mood began to fade, Joseph and Polnareff approaching as Kakyoin began to shake Anne a bit harder. "Why isn't she waking up?" Polnareff asked with worry.

"I don't know!" Kakyoin snapped, returning his attention to her. "Anne, you can't do this now, we can't lose you now! Anne!" He froze when he saw something appear on her face then.

A small crack.

Like a chip to porcelain, it began to grow slowly, small bits flaking off and becoming ash. Kakyoin's breathing became uneven as his eyes glazed over with fresh tears. "Old man. Why is this happening?" Jotaro asked, maintaining a calm stance.

"She needs blood, doesn't she?" Kakyoin looked over his shoulder to ask Joseph. "Doesn't she?!"

Joseph sighed shakily. "Yes, but if she is this drained, then no amount we could provide would save her unless we kill ourselves-"

Kakyoin shakily fumbled to roll his sleeve up. "I need something sharp."

"Kakyoin. I'm not going to let you kill yourself." Jotaro said.

"Jotaro, I am not going to sit here and watch her die!" Kakyoin shouted. "Now get me something sharp before I find something myself!" The younger Joestar exhaled slowly, taking out a pocket knife he kept on his person and handing it to his friend. Without hesitation, Kakyoin sliced his wrist open, wincing as he held it to Anne's mouth as blood began to flow. "Come on… come on… you can make it through this Anne… don't you dare leave me now!" He shouted, choking a sob as everyone watched with growing dread.

Then, they noticed something. Ashes stopped flaking to the ground.

"Her face…" Polnareff said, the cracks beginning to close up slowly. His heart had been stuck in his throat. He couldn't believe it, but the thought of Anne dying sent chills down his spine. He was not one to feel this way so easily.

"That's it Anne… you can do this!" Kakyoin exclaimed, his arm trembling a bit.

After several tense moments, they jumped a bit when Anne gasped deeply, her eyes opening wide as she jolted awake. Kakyoin held her shoulders to keep her steady, Joseph kneeling down to bandage Kakyoin's wrist. They were all stunned that he was able to save Anne from being so far gone and live to tell the tale. As she took in deep breaths, the two hugged as awareness returned to her, Kakyoin closing his eyes as his racing heart began to calm.

"Is… she gone?" Anne managed to ask. "The hag?"

"She's still alive, but she won't be a problem for us. Come on. I'm sick of this place." Jotaro said as they began to head out. Kakyoin carried Anne, Joseph sticking near Polnareff in case he got light headed. When they went outside, they looked around to find themselves in the middle of a cemetery. Skeletons were scattered all about the headstones lined in the ground, a gentle breeze blowing about the dry Earth's dust.

"So… looks like this whole town was a stand." Kakyoin said. "We have to figure out what to do with the old woman."

"I was talking with Jotaro about that just now. We're taking her with us." Joseph said.

"What?! You can't be serious!" Polnareff shouted.

"Polnareff. She needs to be questioned. There's information she has that could help us bring down Dio and his goons. She's gonna have to stick around for a while." Jotaro said.

"Noriaki… you must have used… great amounts of your blood to revive me… save your strength. I can try to walk." Anne said.

"Absolutely not. First thing we're doing is finding a hospital to replenish you further." Kakyoin replied.

Just then, they heard the roar of an engine not far from them. "Finally! Still know how to hot wire baby, yee haw!"

"Looks like we're finding a new ride before anything, Kakyoin." Jotaro sighed. "Good grief…"

"Hey! Hol Horse, you- Mr. Joestar! That asshole is taking our jeep!" Polnareff shouted. "Anne nearly died saving your sorry ass!"

"And that's much appreciated… but Polly, I'm still on Dio's payroll… no hard feelings, partner!" He shouted as he began to drive off.

"You son of a bitch! You're a waste of life, you know that?! I'll kill you for spiting her like this!" Polnareff's voice cracked.

"Let him go." Joseph said. "Hol Horse is very cowardly."

"Oh… the places I shall bleed him from… when I get my hands on him." Anne growled lowly. "Arrogant bastard."

As the group was forced to find another means of transportation, they finally found a nearby town after walking several hours, paying for a horse and buggy as there were no car rentals in the area. They stopped by the first hospital they saw, Anne able to feed on enough blood to replenish herself as well as help heal Polnareff and Kakyoin's wounds. Feeling more like herself, she didn't need as much help getting around at this point, the group spending the next day traveling until they reached Karachi in southern Pakistan.

"I hate that she's with us." Anne had said at one point. "She's like a curse following us about." She sighed as she shot a look at Enya.

"We don't have a choice. She has the answers that will hopefully give us an advantage over Dio." Joseph replied. "Don't worry, she can't hurt us now."

As they headed into town, Joseph spotted a Kebab stand, stopping to head over and get some for himself and the others. Anne politely declined, deciding to stick with just a diet of blood for a while. As he bargained with the Kebab merchant, Anne furrowed a brow as she sensed movement beside her.

"She's coming to." Anne remarked, narrowing her eyes.

The others snapped to alertness as she opened her eyes, sitting up and looking around, quickly becoming panicked. "Why did you take me with you? Did you think I was going to tell you my secrets? Dio's secrets?"

"You don't have to be a genius to deduce that." Anne said, grabbing her shoulder and squeezing it. "Good morning sunshine, now begin talking or you won't see another." She threatened as Joseph walked back over to them.

They did not notice the Kebab merchant slowly lower his sunglasses.

As this happened, Enya froze, staring in his direction. "I said nothing! I haven't told them anything, I have remained a loyal and faithful servant to Lord Dio!"

"What is she talking about? Has she gone crazy?" Kakyoin furrowed a brow.

"I don't know, but this senile old woman is starting to piss me off. Just get what answers we need so we can get rid of her." Jotaro growled.

"N- No… why are you here, to kill me?! Lord Dio wouldn't kill me, he knows my unquestioning loyalty to him!" Enya shouted.

"She isn't senile…" Anne's eyes scanned the street, looking at people walking by. "Everyone, be vigilant. There's another assassin here."

"Uh… guys?" Polnareff asked as he winced.

"Polnareff, if you're asking for the millionth time about how clean the air is, I'm going to deck you." Jotaro threatened.

"No, I think something's wrong with the old lady." Polnareff replied.

They all looked at her as she began to bleed from her eyes and nose. Something began to emerge from her eyes then, tentacles beginning to come from her facial orifices. They reeled back in disgust.

"Holy shit! What the hell are those things coming out of her face?!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Perhaps she's more disgusting than we thought." Anne spat.

"That… was your mistake, you saggy old bitch."

The group looked over as a young, handsome man approached, his dark locks falling to his shoulders as he smirked. "It doesn't matter how loyal you are. Dio doesn't trust anyone. Especially when they don't deliver what he asks. He sent me to make sure the old woman keeps her trap shut… and then to do the same to the rest of you. Well… all except one." His honey colored eyes gravitated to Anne. Despite their mild color, there was a cold arrogance behind them, no warmth or kindness to be had.

"Who are you?" Anne growled.

"My name is Steely Dan… my stand is represented by the Lovers card in the tarot's major arcana. So look close, ladies… because just how Enya's dying in agony right now, that's what I'm going to do to you."

"What the hell are you doing this to her for, aren't you two on the same side?!" Polnareff shouted.

"Hey, mullet head, keep up. Didn't you hear a word I said? I'm getting paid a nice sum to do what Dio asks me to do. So, I'm just doing it, not getting all serious about it and worshipping him like she does." He scoffed. "Wouldn't be surprised if she got all horny over him the way she fawns over the guy. Now that's a disturbing thought."

"N- No… that can't be true… Lord Dio wouldn't… do this to me…!" Enya exclaimed as she choked, bleeding profusely as the tentacles slowly killed her.

"That's no stand, it's a flesh bud, the same thing he did to Polnareff and I!" Kakyoin said.

"No. It isn't the same. I can smell it." Anne grimaced from under her mask.

"Lord Dio… is my only reason for living now… we… believe in each other!" Enya cried.

Polnareff growled as he summoned Silver Chariot, slicing the tentacles. The severed tentacles dried and withered under the hot sun.

"I'll just go ahead and say it… you're both right." Dan smirked. "They are Dio's cells, I just made them grow inside her body. Not exactly the same treatment you two got. Too bad he didn't send me after you two idiots sooner… my job would be easier."

"No… you're… lying!" Enya screamed.

"You may have been the one to teach Dio about stands, you old bitch… but you think he would actually trust a lowly, ugly thing like you?" Dan chuckled. "You're the biggest fool here."

Enya's breathing became uneven as blood poured from her face. In desperation, Joseph shook her. "Enya, listen to me. Tell me the secret of Dio's stand! If you do, I will have Anne heal you!"

"Are you barking mad?!" Anne exclaimed.

"Give me your word Anne." Joseph said as he looked at her. "Anne, your word!"

She exhaled sharply. "Very well!"

"Anne will not back down from a promise, Enya. Now please, tell us! Tell us so I can save my daughter, that's all I want!" Joseph cried as Dan widened his eyes, his expression losing some of its smugness. "You can see that Dio has betrayed you… but we won't break our promise. You can live to see another day… now please, tell us!"

"D- Dio… he… he…" Enya began to say, everyone silent as Joseph leaned in to listen closer. Everyone was silent, awaiting her answer with bated breath. "… he really believes in me." She emitted a choked chuckle then. "Why would I… tell you… anything?" She spat. "You will… all pay… for my son's death. Your daughter will die, Joseph… and… I hope she burns in hell! You will know my pa- ahh!" She exclaimed, blood spurting from her face as she became limp.

"No, no, no! Anne, you have to heal her, quickly!" Joseph shouted.

"It won't do any good Joseph, she clearly is not willing to cooperate." Anne replied.

"Anne, you have to do it, you have to bring her back!" Joseph cried.

"Joseph." Anne knelt by him, taking his hands from Enya's shoulders.

"She was the only one who could tell us… she was the only one who knew his secret… oh God!" He screamed, clenching his teeth as tears formed in his eyes. He shut them tightly, choking a sob. "Holly… I have to save my Holly…!" As he cried, the others looked on silently, frowning. Even Jotaro shut his eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly. Inside, he felt a twinge of pain. This was one of the few moments he had encountered that brought him back to the reality of the consequences that would come as a result of not having the upper hand. His mother's life was in the balance, and though he would take this to his grave, he loved her, and he hated to see someone like his grandfather, someone so upbeat and determined, breaking down like this. He was appreciative of Anne as she pulled the older Joestar into a hug, allowing him to release his emotions.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And here we have it for this chapter! There were many deep emotions in this chapter, and as you may know, dealing with Dan is going to be no easy task. How will they handle it with Anne in the mix? What did you think about how the final showdown against Enya went? Be sure to leave your thoughts in a nice review and stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks again for reading and see you next time!**


	15. The Nerves of Steel

**Hello, readers! I do apologize for the delay in updating- mine and Revolver's schedules have been a bit hectic, but I am making a commitment to continue this story and updates. I thank you all for your patience and support of this story as we progress, it is much apredicted by both of us! Well, without further ado, I present to you a bit of a longer chapter today to make up for lost time! As always, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

As Joseph tried to compose himself, low chuckling was suddenly heard. The group slowly looked over at Steely Dan, each wearing a dirty glare or grimace. He was now seated at a small outdoor table a few feet from them, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping on it. "Well… isn't this sad?" He said as he chuckled. "Enya really was pretty pathetic. She refused to stop believing the delusion that there was something 'special' between her and Dio. She thought they were practically an old married couple. Dio has that effect on people I suppose… even on an old hag whose snatch was probably dryer than a desert."

"Well then, I suppose I've got a potent immunity because he doesn't have that effect on me… or anyone here, for that matter!" Anne spat.

"Couldn't agree more. Now get your ass up so I can beat it." Jotaro growled.

Dan scoffed as he sipped casually on his tea, placing the cup down on its saucer as he remained nonchalant. "You can't touch me. I have no reason to be afraid of you."

"Alright, I've had enough of this. Ora!" Jotaro shouted as he summoned Star Platinum, who punched Dan right in the gut. As he went flying back, Anne was heard gasping then.

"Joseph!" She screamed, Jotaro whirling around when he saw his grandfather being flung back at the same speed in the opposite direction.

"What the hell is this?!" Jotaro shouted.

"Mr. Joestar?! Hey, he went flying just like Dan just did!" Polnareff exclaimed.

Dan chuckled as he wiped blood from his mouth, grunting as he sat up. "The bunch of you are just stupid… not even letting me finish explaining. Hope it feels good knowing you just nearly killed your grandfather, Jotaro Kujo."

"What the hell is this stand… the Lovers, what is it?!" Joseph exclaimed as he coughed up some blood.

"None of you listen, either… I already told you, I didn't come here just to kill the old bitch…" Dan said as he stood to his feet. "I got paid pretty good money for your heads, especially you and your old man, Jotaro. But I'll save you for later. As for Mr. Joestar…" Dan smirked. "The battle's already begun."

"Do you like the sound of your own voice or do you just have nothing better to do?" Anne snapped.

"I don't see anything… I can't see any stand that's doing this to Mr. Joestar…" Kakyoin said lowly.

"That's because you aren't going to see it." Dan said as he pursed his lips, looking around until he spotted a boy sweeping the street. "Hey, kid. I'll pay you to hit my leg with that broom." The boy hesitated, looking at him with confusion. "Come on, do it! Now!" The boy finally obliged, hitting Dan's leg. Dan winced, and the others turned as Joseph winced as well. The group stared at him in confusion before turning back to look at Dan as he laughed. "You idiots still don't get it, do you?! My stand can't be seen because it's small… so tiny, it can go into people's bodies through their ear canal… and that's exactly what it did as soon as Enya died, Joseph! I told you that you were all going to die just like her!" He laughed when Joseph cringed, digging inside his ears with his fingers. "It's no use, it's reached your brain by now! I'll make this simple. Anything that happens to me, happens to you. You hurt me, you get hurt. You kill me… well, you probably get the idea." He laughed. "So I'll say it again… you can't touch me."

"Well isn't this a lovely mess we're in?" Anne huffed.

The boy from earlier laughed as he hit Dan's leg with the broom, giggling. Dan slowly looked down at him. "Did I tell you to hit me again?" He said before punching him square in the nose, dusting himself off. "I will admit… my stand is pretty weak. But… in this case, it doesn't need strength, does it? All I need to do is, say… trip and fall… get into some kind of accident, be injured in some way… and you'll feel it, Joseph Joestar. You'll feel it a lot worse. But don't worry… in less than an hour you'll end up like Enya. So… see? I'm not that cruel, am I? I'm not going to make the agony last for too long."

"The joke's on you, you arrogant bastard… I can heal what wounds inflicted upon him until we find a way to destroy your miserable excuse for a life." Anne growled.

Dan raised a brow, approaching her. "You know… there's a certain type of woman I like. And if I find a woman who doesn't fit my standard…" He reared his hand back, slapping Anne so hard that she fell to the ground, fumbling to keep her mask on. "I teach her as if I would a dog. After all… women are bitches, aren't they?"

"You son of a-!" Kakyoin's eyes became fiery with white hot anger, Jotaro having to hold him back as Polnareff too clenched his jaw.

"When we figure out how to save Joseph we're going to beat the shit out of you!" Polnareff shouted.

"No. I'm going to just kill him in the blink of an eye." Jotaro spat.

"Go ahead, try it." Dan shrugged as Anne got to her feet. Luckily they couldn't see her facial expression beneath her mask.

Jotaro grabbed Dan by his shirt collar then. "Stop acting like you're the fucking king!"

"No, Jotaro, Mr. Joestar is choking!" Kakyoin shouted, his turn now to hold Jotaro back.

Dan laughed. "You say I'm acting like a king? You're the one who's going to be taken down a few notches, Jotaro." He said before punching him square in his gut, Jotaro wincing. "This will teach you to underestimate me… you know, I'm pretty accident prone, so you'd better be careful." He picked up a rock, smashing it on Jotaro's wrist as he protected his face, a sickening crack being heard. "Oops."

"Jotaro!" They shouted. Anne ran over, about to heal him.

"Still haven't learned your place, have you, bitch? Stay where you are. If you heal him, I'll do the same to myself… I don't think Joseph would like that." Dan said. "Look at you… you must love attention, otherwise you wouldn't be here with all these… well, I'll call them men just for the sake of this point I'm making… anyone could spend five minutes with you and tell that you're an uptight prude. I wonder if I could say the same about you in bed?"

"The agonizing things I will do to you when I get my hands on you…" Anne growled.

"Oh, I'm sure you would. That's one of the few things women are good for, anyway. You're all teases. So… let me get a consensus from the bunch of you. Is she good?" Dan asked. Kakyoin tightened his jaw as he clenched his fists. He wanted to break this guy's neck for even daring to say such demeaning things to Anne. Polnareff narrowed his eyes as he gritted his teeth. As much as he liked to chase after pretty girls, he still had a degree of chivalry he swore to uphold. Disrespect towards a woman was not acceptable in his book, except a woman that he cared for. Joseph frowned deeply, swearing under his breath as Jotaro nursed his wrist.

'Damn it… I can't just let him beat my grandson to death!' Joseph thought to himself. 'The Pillar Men put poison capsules in my throat and heart back in the day and I figured out how to get out of it, I can get out of this too and save my grandson and friends!' At this, Joseph began to run away from them. 'Stands usually have a range… maybe if I get far away enough, the effects will wear off, and we can defeat him!'

"Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff cried.

"Jean, we have to go after him, come on!" Kakyoin exclaimed. "Anne, Jotaro, you can't let Dan get near him!" He said before he and Polnareff ran off to follow Joseph. At this, Dan began to laugh once again, throwing his head back.

"Stupid, you're all so stupid! That's the strength in my stand's weakness! It doesn't matter how far he gets from me, I can still control it!" Anne had helped Jotaro to his feet, Dan turning to look at them. "Hey Jotaro! Hey… are you ignoring me?" He said as he nudged his shoulder. "You're going to go where I tell you to go until your old man dies, and so is the bitch. Then, you're next. Got it?"

Jotaro turned to glare at him. "Dan, right? You are going to pay for all this. I'm going to beat the shit out of you, then Anne's gonna bleed you dry."

Dan nodded slowly. "Pay, huh? Well then, don't mind if I do." He said, going into Jotaro's jacket pocket to take his wallet, removing the money from it before tossing the wallet on the ground, pocketing it. "I won't even check her… women only know how to spend men's money. I'm sure you all pay her nicely. Speaking of which… not very much here, is there Jotaro? Hm… give me your watch, that should be worth a bit." Jotaro growled lowly he and Anne looking at each other a moment before he took off the watch, handing it to Dan. "See? This isn't so hard, is it?"

Meanwhile, Joseph wandered near an electronic store, Kakyoin and Polnareff following him. Joseph stopped when he saw that in the front window, there were TVs displayed.

"Mr. Joestar, why are we stopping here? Shouldn't we keep moving?" Polnareff asked.

"No, this is perfect! With these, I can try to battle the stand inside my brain myself! Hermit Purple!" He exclaimed, pressing his hands on the glass as the purple thorn vines extended through the glass, wrapping around the TV just on the other side as it blinked on. It showed the inside of Joseph's brain, the Lovers stand inside causing havoc.

"There it is!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"How in the hell are we supposed to beat that thing, it's so tiny!" Polnareff tilted his head.

"We make our stands just as small." Kakyoin replied. "They can go inside Mr. Joestar's ear and we can take this from there."

"Alright then, let's go!" Polnareff exclaimed, the pair summoning their stands, shrinking them, and having them go inside Joseph's ear canal, beginning to navigate their descent.

Jotaro and Anne were both fuming as they continued to make their way around town with Steely Dan. "You know, I just thought of something." Dan rubbed his chin. "The bitch here is covered head to toe."

"She's a vampire, asshole." Jotaro growled.

Dan nodded slowly. "You think that's a nice way to talk to me, Jotaro?" Dan asked before punching him square in the jaw. Anne hissed, diving to help him up. "Hey! I told you not to help him, he's a big boy. Stand up." Anne clenched her fists as she tensely stood, Jotaro eventually getting to his feet. "As I was saying… you could be hiding something on you."

"Well then, what do you propose we do about this predicament?" Anne spat.

"I'll be the one asking questions." Dan shot her a look. "Well, how are people checked for weapons? A pat down, of course. Turn around." Jotaro spat some blood to the side, shoving his hands in his pockets. He saw Anne out of the corner of his eye slowly turn around after exhaling sharply. Dan approached from behind her. "Don't pretend you don't like this." Dan scoffed. He smirked as his hands traveled along her upper arms and shoulders before dipping underneath them, extending around to her front. "What do we have here, hm? Thinking you could conceal these guns from me? So Anne, how many hands have squeezed these triggers?" Anne growled lowly, her spine tensing even more as she tried to keep herself from tearing Dan's throat out. He continued to let his hands wander, travelling down the sides of her waist, fondling her behind before slipping a hand to raise her leg a bit. "Couldn't be hiding a knife under here…" He said as his fingers traced along her inner thigh before doing the same to the other. "Well then… guess you check out." He said, Anne growling as she pulled herself away from him. "Come on."

Anne rejoined Jotaro as they walked behind him. "I really hope that the others have made some progress. My self-control to kill this waste of life is waning quickly." She hissed.

"You're not the only one." Jotaro replied.

As they headed forward, they encountered a ravine. "A ditch… I could probably just jump over it, but it would spell bad news for Joseph if I twisted my ankle… and I don't feel like walking all the way to the bridge. Jotaro, lay across here with your body so I can pass."

"You cannot be serious." Anne said flatly.

"You know bitch, my patience is wearing thin with you. I told you not to speak unless I tell you. I don't like when you talk out of turn. So every time you do that, I'm going to make you take something off for…" He took out Jotaro's watch. "… fifteen seconds."

"She'll burn, you fucking asshole!" Jotaro exclaimed suddenly.

Dan shrugged. "When a dog does something it isn't supposed to, you beat it. That's how it learns to avoid doing that thing again. Now, take off your glove, bitch." Anne began to tremble lightly both out of pure rage, and a slight dread of the pain that would come. "I'm sorry, did you not hear me clearly? Maybe you want me to hurt my hand instead?" He was about to hyperextend his fingers. As he was doing this, Anne inhaled sharply, yanking the glove of her left hand off. Dan halted his action, smirking as smoke began to rise from her skin, exposed to the sun. As this happened, when winced in pain, closing her fist. "No, no, you have to keep it open. Don't worry, I'll just fish my new watch out of my pocket to see how much time has passed." He pursed his lips as Anne trembled more, whimpering lightly as her hand burned up. Jotaro frowned a brow, greatly bothered by this. "Hm… where did it go, I just had it… oh, HERE it is." He smirked. Anne shoved the glove back on her hand, choking a whimper as she hunched over. She held the hand to her chest, nursing it as it slowly healed. "Now then, Jotaro, do what I told you." Dan said, Jotaro glaring at him as he laid across the gap.

"Fuck…" Jotaro winced as Dan walked along his back. He stopped on his mid back, turning. "Oh by the way, bitch… which hand did you take the glove off of?"

"… you clearly saw which one it was, you idiotic-"

"I'm sorry, I don't remember telling you to give me attitude. Take both gloves off." Dan shot her a look, still standing on Jotaro's back. Anne let out a shaky breath. She slowly removed the gloves again as Jotaro grunted, trying to keep his grip with Dan standing on his back. He swore when he heard Anne whimper, her hands burning up. Dan simply watched as Anne's stance weakened. "Alright, put them back on." He said as Anne shoved them back into her hands. He walked over Jotaro and stepped on his hands in the process, Anne jumping across to try to help Jotaro up. "I told you not to help him, you stupid fucking bitch!" Dan shouted, smashing his leg into a nearby pole. Anne and Jotaro froze- they knew that Joseph was howling in pain by now. "You're not going to be happy until you kill the old man, are you?" He snapped. "Jotaro, my back is itchy. Scratch it."

"Good grief…" Jotaro sighed, grimacing as he went over to Dan to do what he asked.

"Hm… it seems like Kakyoin and Polnareff's stands have shrunk themselves and entered Joseph's brain…" He chuckled. "Like they stand a chance." He said, Anne and Jotaro exchanging looks at this. "Lower… ah, that feels nice… you know what else feels nice, Jotaro?" He turned, smirking. "The warmth of a woman's lips." Anne was quickly losing her composure. "I'll even be nice. There's an alleyway just there. Now I finally get to see if your face is worth looking at, bitch. Also… my shoes will need cleaning. Even though a woman is usually the one who should be cleaning, I'll make an exception in this case." They headed over to the alleyway, where Dan made Jotaro bend down to shine his shoes. "If you get blood all over them, I'll kick your face in." He said before smirking. "So, before the big reveal, what should I expect, Jotaro? Is she sexy?" When Jotaro said nothing, looking at some blood that had got on his shoe, he kicked Jotaro's face. "I told you to clean them, not get blood on them! Now answer me!"

"…" Jotaro sacked in a breath, spitting more blood to the side as he wiped his mouth. "She looks okay."

"That isn't what I asked. You don't tell someone that a bitch you're banging looks 'okay.' So, you either say that she's sexy, or a horror show, or I'm dragging her out of the alley and her face will REALLY look like a horror show." Dan threatened.

Jotaro curled his lip. "Fine. She's the former of the two. But that's just my opinion."

Dan scoffed, shaking his head as grabbed Anne's mask, tearing it off and tossing it aside. "Hm… not bad. Not bad at all." He raised a brow. "So Anne… who's your favorite?"

"To whom are you referring?" Anne asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm talking about your little harem, stupid bitch." Dan snapped. "So… who is your favorite… maybe Jotaro. After all, here you are with him. He's probably pretty boring in bed though. Look at him. Definitely a bottom. Maybe you like the old man? Going through all this trouble for him, I could see him being your sugar daddy." Anne's eyes were daggers as Dan spoke on. "Maybe you like that big moron Polnareff… does he have something else that's big?" He chuckled. "Or maybe you like the red head. He seems pretty boring too. You know, maybe I should call you a slut instead… you think you're hot stuff, don't you? I should show you what being with a real man is like. You wouldn't be a slut anymore then… you wouldn't want anything else."

"Don't flatter yourself." Anne spat.

"You're talking out of turn again." Dan said before yanking Anne towards him, forcing her into a kiss. Anne squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists. Jotaro was beyond angry. Anne had become his friend, and it pissed him off to see her being degraded like this. He heard a small whimper then, Dan finally breaking the kiss, shoving Anne from him. He touched his lip, looking at his fingertips to see blood on them. "So… like to play hard, don't you? Eh, mediocre at best. You really are a prude. That or you just like low grade men." Dan said, looking at Jotaro. "Maybe she just wants you that badly, Jotaro. Let's see, hm? You look like a seconds kind of guy anyway. Kiss her."

Jotaro exhaled slowly, tugging on his cap a bit as he looked to the side. Dan shoved Anne towards him, shooting him a glare before looking up at Jotaro. "Don't murder me for this."

"Trust me, there's only one person I want to murder right now and it isn't you. Process of elimination." Jotaro said, narrowing his eyes at Dan.

"Pretty hard to kiss someone when you're talking, isn't it?" Dan said. "Do it." When they didn't move quickly enough, Dan picked up a sharp piece of glass, holding it to his throat. "You either kiss, right now… or I slice." He smirked, poking the point of the glass into his throat and drawing a bit of blood. Anne's jaw tightened as he began to push the glass a bit deeper. Not able to handle any more pressure of risking Joseph's life, she whirled around, grabbing Jotaro's shoulders as her lips collided with his. Her hands slowly moved away from his shoulders, dropping at her sides. Jotaro kept a similar stance, maintaining a certain restraint despite the situation he was in. Dan smirked as he watched the awkward action with delight. He loved humiliating people. He loved having control at the snap of a finger. After what seemed like an eternity, he did just that. "Alright, I've seen enough."

Jotaro immediately stood up straight, Anne clearing her throat as she took a step back. Dan then noticed Jotaro take out a notebook to write something in it, questioning him. "This is what you owe Anne and I. I can be forgetful sometimes, so that's why I've been writing it down."

Meanwhile, Kakyoin commanded Heirophant Green to attack the Lovers stand with emerald splash as the three watched the battle inside Joseph's brain on the TV. However, the more they attacked the stand, the more the crustacean like creature kept multiplying. "It can only have one stand… where is the real one! It keeps copying itself!"

"I'm over here! No, over here! Sorry, I meant here!" Lovers shouted, it's copies chattering and giggling as they grew in number. "We may be the weakest stand, but we're also the most terrifying! Kreee!"

Dan laughed as he watched Jotaro get beat up by a group of shop owners when he made Jotaro attempt to steal something. "Well, thanks to your distraction, I stole something even nicer from them." He held up the piece of jewelry before pocketing it. As Jotaro chuckled to himself, Dan grimaced. "The hell are you laughing at?"

"Man… I cannot wait until I get to kick your ass." Jotaro said, Anne bending down to help him to his feet.

"That's it. You just refuse to listen to me, you stupid slut! I told you to stop helping him. Now, you can kill him." Dan spat. "Bite into his neck and bleed him dry."

"Sod off, I'm not doing that." Anne growled.

"You two idiots have one of two options. Either Anne bleeds Jotaro dry, or Jotaro, you strip Anne of every piece of clothing she has on so I have something good to look at while she roasts in the sun." Dan smirked. "Or you can say goodbye to your grandfather forever, Jotaro. So, what will it be? You should be thankful I'm giving you options."

Anne looked over at Jotaro as he growled, about to shrug out of his jacket when she stopped him. "Anne. This is my choice."

"I'm not giving you that choice. You have to be the one to find Dio. You have that power, Jotaro. That resilience. I have seen it. If one of us has to die it will not be you." Anne said, Jotaro about to say something when Anne cut him off. "I swore an oath to protect the family of Joestar just as my father did. I almost broke that oath more than once on this journey, but not this time. You aren't just a Joestar to me. You are a respected and honored friend. If I have to die so that you can overcome this unmitigated bastard…" She shot a look at Dan before beginning to yank off her gloves, mask, anything she could reach. As Dan grinned with delight, Jotaro widened his eyes as smoke began to rise from her skin. She opened her cloak, the dark material dropping as her arms, face, and shoulders began to sizzle. Jotaro could tell she was trying to keep composed against the pain, but he was not going to stand there and watch her burn alive.

She had risked enough for them, and it would be a cold day in hell before he let her kill herself because of this asshole.

Jotaro growled, whipping his jacket off of him and throwing it over Anne as she curled up in a fetal position.

"Hey! That's not what I said! I want to watch her roast!" Dan shouted.

"And I'm done with your shit." Jotaro spat.

Dan chuckled. "Fine. I guess you can tell your grandfather that when I-" Suddenly, he winced as he lurched, blood coming from his head.

Back at the electronics store, Kakyoin smirked. His Heirophant Green, who had stretched his tail in all directions, had finally weeded out the true Lovers among its copies. "I got him!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

Dan gasped, swaying as Jotaro smirked. "Kakyoin came through…" He said lowly. "Hope he left something for me… because Anne and I are going to be the ones who punish you."

"Look, it's leaving my brain!" Joseph exclaimed.

"But that means… Mr. Joestar, it will go back to Steely Dan! Anne and Jotaro don't know that, they're on the other side of town! We won't make it in time to tell them!" Kakyoin cried.

"I-… I-… I-… this can't-… how-…" Dan sputtered as he stumbled back.

"Hey, what's wrong there, Dan? Did something happen with my grandpa? Come on, we're pals, aren't we? You can tell me." Jotaro grabbed him by the shoulder as Dan tried to move away from them. Anne stood, back in her full attire as she cracked her neck once to the side. "Why are you in such a hurry? Where do you think you're going? The fun's just about to start."

Dan fell to his knees, groveling. "Alright, alright, I admit defeat! I was wrong! I'll do anything, I'll kiss both your feet, just don't kill me!"

"I don't want any part of you near me unless it's on my terms. Get up, you miserable cod." Anne kicked his face, making him fall back as she pressed the toe of his boot against his face. "Here's my first task for you…" She growled as she pressed down on his cheek harder. "Eat dirt."

'Just a little longer…' Dan thought to himself. 'My stand will come back and go in Jotaro's ear. Then I'll make him and this bitch pay for this!' He managed to smirk as he saw the tiny stand returning. 'There it is, go in Jotaro's ear and torture him!'

"Ora!" Star Platinum cried as he appeared, snatching the tiny stand in his thumb and index finger at lightning speed. As he pinned it, he squeezed ever so slightly, cracks being heard as Dan cried out painfully.

"You didn't think I'd guess you would try this move?" Jotaro asked. "Don't you know that my stand has great speed, eyesight? Maybe next time you should spend less time being a shit head and spend more time studying your enemies."

"I- I wasn't going to do anything, I swear! I was just calling it back to me!" Dan cried. Anne grabbed his collar, clicking her tongue as she waved her finger back and forth.

"Did I say you could speak?" She dug her fingers into his shoulder, making him scream. "You're still making noise. Stupid boy, don't you understand when I tell you something?" She said, putting more pressure on his shoulder as she squeezed.

"Please, please stop, I can't move, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I swear I'll never mess with you again!" Dan wailed.

"First, you're going to pay what you owe Anne and I. Then, you're never going to show yourself again. Got it?" Jotaro threatened.

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say, I'll do whatever you both say!" Dan cried.

"You better not be lying. Between Anne and I, we'll beat you to death." Jotaro warned.

"I'm not lying, I'm not lying!" Dan shouted.

Jotaro curled his lip at him. "Leave our sight." He said as he turned around.

"Jotaro, are you sure this is wise? He could go groveling back to Dio." Anne asked.

"Let him. Maybe he'll finally get that he's pissing away his money and time on all these wusses." Jotaro replied.

As they spoke, a small group of children walked by up ahead, giggling to themselves and playing. Dan chuckled to himself as he propped himself up. "Hey Jotaro, you really are an idiot, haha! You too, you undead bitch!" He spat. "Look at that girl over there! My stand just went into her ear! Unless you want her to die, you better get your assessment over here and fix me up, other wise I'll make sure that girl dies! Her blood will be on your hands!"

Anne was about to whirl around when Jotaro grabbed her shoulder, whispering something to her. Anne calmed then, relaxing her posture a bit. "There's only one person's blood who will soon be on my hands…" She crouched down, hoisting up Dan by his hair and yanking his head back. "… yours."

Dan hissed. "You're going to die, you bitch!" He grabbed a dagger out of his pocket, stabbing Anne's side with it. She hissed, Dan about to stab her again when he froze. "I can't move… why…" They couldn't see of course, but as a backup, Kakyoin, even from across town, had kept a grip on Lovers with Heirophant Green's tail.

"What's wrong? I thought you were going to kill Anne? Pfft. Stupid jackass. You think you can kill a vampire like that?" Jotaro asked.

"Perhaps if I poke him hard enough he'll move again." Anne said, grabbing the knife and stabbing his crotch without hesitation, Jotaro even wincing as she twisted the knife. "Hm… doesn't seem to be working… perhaps he likes the pain."

"Please-!" He choked. "Oh God, please st- to- op!" He gasped as he screamed in pain.

"You had your chance to escape. Now, you're going to pay us in full." Jotaro said as he approached.

"L- Look, I still have the money Dio gave me… take it! Take everything I have!" Dan cried as Anne yanked the knife out of him.

"Good grief… you really are the lowest scum on the planet. What you owe… can't be paid back in money." Jotaro narrowed his eyes before summoning Star Platinum. "ORA ORA ORA!" He shouted repeatedly, sending over a thousand punches at Dan. The pitiful man couldn't even dream to defend himself as he was finally propelled into the side of a building, the force making a giant hole. Dan groaned, feeling as if every bone in his body was broken. Anne then hopped up, blocking up the sun with her figure.

"Oh… Jotaro wished for me to give this to you. A receipt for your transaction. Your debt to him has been paid." Anne said.

"Thank… oh… I'm… saved…" Dan groaned.

"Hm… not quite. I said you paid Jotaro's debt. She took off her face mask then, being she was facing away from the sun. "Now, you get to pay mine." She said as dread came over Dan's expression. "I will not show you an ounce of mercy. Heartless creatures like you have no place on this Earth. Take a good look at the sky, because it will be the last time you see the light of day." Anne snarled, opening her mouth wide and baring her teeth.

Below, the other three returned. "Jotaro! Thank goodness you're alright! Where's Anne, is she okay?" Joseph asked.

"She's fine. Just finishing some business." Jotaro replied.

They all looked up as Dan's choked screams mixed with the sound of teeth biting and tearing at skin filled the air above them. Jotaro smirked lightly as Joseph and Polnareff winced, Kakyoin remaining stoic. Anne finally lifted her head up, blood dripping down her chin. She licked her lips, taking out a handkerchief to wipe her face with. She placed her mask back on, hopping down to meet the others.

"He won't be bothering us again. At least he made somewhat of a decent meal." She said. "Are you all recovered?"

"Yes, Anne. You and Jotaro put up a good fight." Joseph smiled, gently patting her shoulder as she and Jotaro exchanged glances.

"You haven't the slightest idea." Anne said. "By the way, Jotaro… despite the circumstances, I must tell you… I think the girl you find for yourself someday will be more than pleased with you." She chuckled lightly as she turned. "We should get moving."

Jotaro pulled his cap over his eyes, smirking despite the comedic awkwardness. "Good grief…"

"What did she mean by that?" Kakyoin asked. "Anne?" He started to head after her.

Joseph blinked, looking at his grandson. "Jotaro, what-"

"Don't ask." Jotaro cut him off, turning to head out.

"I'm confused… wait. Jotaro, did you get a girlfriend?! Hey, Jotaro, who's the lucky lady?" Polnareff called as he ran after them. Joseph chuckled to himself, shaking his head lightly as he headed out to catch up with them.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Well, as I'm sure you saw, this was quite a roller coaster ride! When watching Steely Dan in the anime, I thought he was such a jerk, that there was no limit to the torture he would have put Jotaro through... so Revolver and I amped that a bit when writing this out, making the ending all the more satisfying. So, what will the group encounter next? I will tell you this: the next chapter will be introducing our next OC stand user... so stay tuned for the next update when we discover what they bring! Thanks again for reading, and see you next time!**


	16. The Fatal Attraction: Part One

**Good evening, readers! I have finally returned with a new chapter for you! This is going to be a two parter, and yes, we have our next OC enemy! What trouble will they cause the group? Read on and let me know what you think! Thank you to those who have continued to follow and support this story, it is much appreciated! As always, please enjoy!**

* * *

The group moved on, reaching port to cross the strait into Abu Dahbi. Thankfully, this only took a few hours, returning to land by mid-noon. After managing to find yet another car, they found themselves driving into the heart of the city, moving through a residential neighborhood. As Polnareff drove, Joseph looked out the window with awe at the magnificent homes lining the street.

"This country is incredible! With the oil boom here, the wealth they have accumulated is unbelievable! A house like this that's average here would cost millions back in Japan!" Joseph remarked. Jotaro huffed, leaning towards the window. A short time later, Joseph and Polnareff stopped once they reached the business district, the pair heading out to grab some food for everyone. Anne glanced over as Jotaro sighed with relief.

"Something the matter?" Kakyoin asked.

"That guy does not know when to shut up. Seriously, he's getting on my nerves." Jotaro replied.

"He just likes to have conversation. I don't think aggravating you is his intention." Anne said.

"Well, he's doing a good job at it. I can't stand him." Jotaro lowered the window to light a cigarette.

"Jotaro, I'm saying this for your benefit. At the end of the day, Joseph is your grandfather. Your blood. Your family. He cares about you. He isn't perfect, but none of us can boast this. Take my word for it… there were moments my family irritated me over a century ago… but I would do anything to experience those annoyances again. Joseph isn't going to last forever. Appreciate the time you are able to spend with him." Anne said, Kakyoin glancing at her as he remained silent. Jotaro sighed lightly.

"Good grief…" Jotaro said lowly.

"Look, I'm not telling you to be warm and fuzzy. I know that isn't you. Just… be present to him." Anne said before leaning back in her seat.

Joseph and Polnareff returned, joking about something as they entered the car, distributing some food to everyone. Jotaro flicked his cigarette butt out the window, taking his meal. He glanced at Anne for a moment before taking a bite. "Hey, old man."

"Hm? Oh, did you need something, Jotaro? Is your food okay?" Joseph replied.

"It's fine. Just glad your arm's okay." He replied, taking another bite.

Joseph blinked, but his expression softened as he smiled. "Thank you, Jotaro. I'm relieved too."

They couldn't see it, but Anne smiled under her mask. Kakyoin glanced at her, smiling lightly as well before they all finished their meals. They started the car, continuing on. As they did, a pair of high heels approached Jotaro's cigarette butt on the ground, the toe of one shoe stepping on it. A young woman in her twenties watched them drive on through high-end shades, lowering them a bit as she smirked. She was dressed to the nines, turning on her heal to get into an expensive car, giggling to herself as she stepped on the gas.

As Polnareff drove, he noticed the stylish car keeping a short distance behind them. "Hey, is that person following us?" He asked.

"Oh for goodness sake... the last thing we need is another bout of road rage, the incident in the Himalayans was enough." Anne remarked.

"I think she's trying to get our attention." Joseph said as he looked in the rear view mirror. "Polnareff, pull over."

"Are you sure that's a wise idea? Who is this person and why would they want to pull us over?" Anne asked.

"She could be lost. Maybe she's trying to ask directions." Joseph said.

"If she can afford a vehicle like that, she can afford a map." Anne said, Kakyoin snickering at this.

After pulling over, the car behind them pulled over as well. The young woman emerged from her car and the group did from theirs, much to some of their dismay. The woman sashayed over to them as she took off her shades.

"Hey boys, like, I couldn't help but notice some of your gorgeous faces from where I was, and like, just wanted to give you an offer." The young woman said.

"Oh, I do apologize, they're not looking for a pick-me-up, dear. We're not staying here long." Anne said.

"Uh, I'm not a hooker, if that's what you're implying." The young woman grimaced at her. "I like, have my own clothing line, exCUSE me, and I've been looking for male models for my new men's apparel debut." She held up a binder. "Like, it's a big deal."

Jotaro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good grief... not interested, have a nice-"

"Oh, are you looking for a certain body type? Buff, perhaps?" Polnareff asked, grinning as he not-so-casually stretched his arms back to show off his muscles. "I always wanted to try modeling something."

"Perhaps start by remodeling your ego Jean, it will benefit everyone present including yourself." Anne said. "We don't have time for this, let's bid miss-?"

"You can call me McBrain! That's like, the name of my company, and it's totally my nick name now. Cute right? Oh jeez, it is SO hot out here. Like I'm totally used to hot weather because I'm like, actually from L.A, but it is super duper hot here!" She said as she took off her overcoat. Kakyoin glanced over when he noticed that Polnareff froze out of the corner of his eyes, rolling his own as he shook his head.

"She's got something else that's big... two somethings..." Polnareff muttered to himself as he gawked. Anne curled her lip under her mask. She stepped forward, but not before reaching over to quickly and firmly pinch Polnareff's arm, causing him to hiss at the painful contact. "Ah, sacre bleu Anne! She could you know, have something concealed in-"

"Jean, shut up." Anne spat. "We will have to decline this offer-... McBrain."

"But you haven't like, even heard how much I'd pay you though! So initial contract with any of my models is one million a year flat rate, plus commissions on photo shoots, events and shows." McBrain said, making Polnareff's jaw drop.

"O- One MILLION?!" He laughed. "Where do I sign?!"

"Hang on, hang on, babe. I like you, you're cute. Here, take a look at some of my models I have in the running here." She handed him the book before approaching Jotaro. "Now YOU are exactly the type I'm looking for. So like, serious, but sexy. You're the kind the girls like."

"Glad you feel that way. It's not happening." Jotaro said while barely looking at her.

"Look, I get it. Modeling isn't for everyone. But you know what is? Money! Expensive stuff!" McBrain exclaimed.

Kakyoin sighed as Anne walked back over to the car, speaking lowly to Joseph. "Jean. Hey, Polnareff!" He snapped to get his attention. "Give that back to her and get your ass back in that car."

"Hang on, hang on... oh, I look WAY better than this guy!" Polnareff said before he felt the binder being yanked out of his hands. "Hey, I was looking at that, wait your-" He was cut off by Kakyoin dragging him off to the side.

"Jean, you're my friend. So understand that when I ask you- is all of this some kind of joke to you?!" He exclaimed.

"No, I'm dead serious, we could make a lot of money doing this, Noriaki!" Polnareff beamed.

Kakyoin's head fell back, pacing as he exhaled slowly. "You know what? You are... I do not understand how you could be so STUPID. You are so blind."

"Uh, what are you talking about? I think this is a great idea!"

"We are not here to make business deals, Jean!" Kakyoin shouted. "There is a woman's life on the line back in Japan, and we are standing around here, wasting time while she gets sicker!"

"Okay, okay, calm down... look, we have plenty of time, we've made some good progress and we deserve a little treat. Noriaki..." Polnareff's expression softened. "We're going to save Holly. I know we are. We just have to learn to have a little fun, a little leisure, is all."

"We don't have to 'learn' to have fun. You need to learn WHEN it's appropriate to have fun!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Well it's not fun that you guys are all sour grapes! Mr. Joestar knows a good laugh even though we're in the situation we're in- you're just a goody two shoes, Jotaro and Anne are far too serious-"

"Do not." Kakyoin got in his face, lowering his voice. "Do not... say a word about her."

"Noriaki, Noriaki... Anne and I are on good terms now. I was stupid in the beginning, okay? She's actually a good person. She's just too serious. Too uptight. Jotaro too, always so serious about everything..."

Kakyoin shook his head in disgust, shoving the binder back at the Frenchman. "You know Jean, maybe one day you'll get it. Maybe one day, you won't treat almost everyone like a joke. Every time, every time a situation comes for you to actually stand up for us, you make the same stupid choices. You have no idea what's right in front of you!" Kakyoin exclaimed, turning on his heel to storm off. Polnareff was left dumbfounded, blinking when he decided to just look down at the binder again. When he flipped the next page however, what he saw made his eyes widen.

"Noriaki. You have to see this!"

"I don't want to hear another word from you, Polnareff!"

"No really, you have to see this! Kakyoin!" He shouted, grabbing his arm. Kakyoin whirled around, punching Polnareff's jaw in reaction, making the Frenchman stumble back a bit. "What the hell?!"

"I'm done with your bullshit." Kakyoin pointed his finger at him. "I don't know how she sees anything in you."

"What- Kakyoin, are you mad because of what McBrain said to me? Forget about what she said, look at this!" Polnareff exclaimed, holding up the binder.

"No, you gigantic idiot, how can you not see that-..." Kakyoin stopped when Polnareff held up the binder to him, his eyes widening.

In one of the photo spreads highlighting certain models, there were several pictures of a model's back and upper body in different poses.

On the back of the model's left shoulder, there was a star shaped birth mark.

"Anne…" Joseph took the woman by surprise when he hugged her gently. "I know how seriously you are taking this journey. I understand your concern. But… you have to remember that even things being what they are… I'm scared too." He said as Anne bowed her head a bit. "Sometimes I think we all just need to forget that we're scared." He said. "But it's comforting to know I have someone scared for my loved ones too." Joseph smiled. "Your family would be proud."

Anne lifted her head as a lump formed in her throat. "I appreciate your sentiments."

"Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff and Kakyoin ran over by the car to them. "Look at this! That woman is working for Dio!"

"Bloody hell, I knew it… where is Jotaro? Where is she?!" Anne exclaimed.

Jotaro groaned as he blinked his eyes open, rubbing the back of his head. He felt resistance when he lifted his hand, looking down to see that there were handcuffs attached to them. He looked around, seeing he was in the back seat of a high end car. His jacket and hat were haphazardly tossed onto the seat next to him. He snapped his head the other way however, when he felt the seat move next to him.

"Hi baby. Wakie wakie." McBrain giggled. "You actually woke up REALLY fast." She pouted her lips in what she attempted to be a cute smile. "Amazing how easily distracted everyone was, like, it was kind of hard getting you into the car. I'm going to give it to you straight, handsome. I got paid like, a LOT of money to find you guys."

Jotaro grimaced at the whole situation. "So, you're a stand user."

"The best, stand user. But… if you're a good boy, you don't have to find out like, the bad reason why." Jotaro turned his head, growling as she crawled onto his lap. "I don't like, really care about those other guys and that total bitchy girl, but like… the second I saw you babe… I knew I wanted you."

Jotaro curled his lip in disgust. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get the fuck off of me and get me out of this car. I'm only warning you once because you don't seem too smart."

"Come on…" She whined lightly, putting her hands on his chest as she straddled him. "A sexy guy like you should learn how to have a good time… and like, I totally know how to give a guy a good time. I'll take you farther around the world than you like, already have been. I'll keep you around as a little secret. Dio doesn't have to know."

Just then, McBrain screamed as one of her car doors were ripped right off its hinges, Anne standing on the other side. Jotaro felt himself being yanked out, the handcuffs broken like they were twigs and tossed to the side.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked.

"Yeah… remind me not to get on your bad side." Jotaro said.

"I should say the same of you." Anne smirked. "Would you like to play a little game?"

"Not into games." He replied.

"Come now, you'll like this one. It's called, 'who can send the blonde bimbo flying the farthest?'"

Jotaro pursed his lip. "Alright. Let's play."

"You're going to pay for my car, you bitch!" McBrain shouted.

"Why not ask your sponsor to pay for the damages instead?" Anne asked smugly.

"Look. You think I'm like, gonna say no to a guy with money and pecs? That's called being smart. Not Dio's fault that he's like, a total hunk. He just sees my potential. I'm getting a HUGE contract. I won't have any problem killing you and the old dude. The red head is too slim and you…" She raised a brow at Polnareff. "Too like, annoying."

"What?! You said I was cute!" Polnareff exclaimed, clearing his throat when he got several looks shot at him. "N- Not that I care!"

"So are like babies, but they're annoying." McBrain said. "Look. I have a schedule to like, get to, so let's make this quick."

"With pleasure." Anne said as she stormed forward.

"Anne, we don't know anything about her stand, it could be dangerous!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"You think I'm going to be intimidated by a vain woman with no brains? Lion's Claw!" Anne shouted, Sekhmet appearing and snarling as she dove forward. McBrain smirked, her stand appearing as Sekhmet lunged to attack. The form of her stand was a bit unsettling- it appeared to have a pale, mannequin like body; flawless, plastic, artificial. However, rather than having a head, its left hand held a decorative stick with a mask, holding the mask up to where its face would be if it did have a head. In the center of its chest, what appeared to be like a large, circular lens opened like a shutter camera, emitting a flash of light. As the light flashed, the mannequin began to quickly disassemble, its parts circling and swirling around the mask as it began to change, its cold, empty form transforming. Just as Sekhmet was about to land the attack, it was stopped when a second pair of claws blocked the attack, Sekhmet skidding back as she landed from the resistance. Anne exhaled sharply, her eyes widening. "What in the bloody hell is this?!"

"Meet my key to success… 2 Minutes to Midnight. See, that's like, when the best fashion shows are… and I only accept the best. But sometimes, when someone else has what you want… you have to do what they do, but make them look worse at it." McBrain chuckled as she looked at her stand, which had taken the form of Sekhmet.

* * *

 **Stand User Name: McBrain**

 **Stand Name: 2 Minutes to Midnight**

 **Abilities: Upon contact with another stand it will perfectly mimic the abilities of another stand, right down to its core strengths and weaknesses, for exactly two minutes.**

 **Destructive Power: C**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: D**

 **Durability: D**

 **Precision: C**

 **Development: Infinite**

* * *

"So that's what her stand does… it imitates other stands." Joseph gasped.

"It makes itself BETTER than other stands. You think I like, don't get tons of shit from shady girls who don't like that I work the runway better than them, that I'm more beautiful and popular? You know what I do? I throw their shit right back at them. It's what they deserve. People just like, don't understand when they're not good enough. That's why Dio totally gets me. He's going to make me global. I'll be the biggest name in like, the fashion and modelling industry, and no one's going to touch me. Unless I want them to, I guess." She bit her lip seductively as she glanced at Jotaro.

"To hell with this! We can still kick your ass all the same! Silver Chariot!" Polnareff shouted as his stand lunged out, thrusting its rapier towards the mimic stand.

Suddenly, dark purple sand began to surround him, similar to Anne's Dark Sandstorm, the others unable to see him as it concealed him. Kakyoin was about to summon Heirophant Green to attempt to pull Polnareff out of it, Jotaro stopping him.

"Don't do that. You may end up hurting him instead." Jotaro advised, Kakyoin nodding.

Polnareff kept his guard up, looking around through the sand for any signs of the bubbly blonde as he tried to keep the debris out of his eyes. Suddenly, he sensed something behind him and used his stand to guard it, barely blocking a pair of razor sharp claws as the mimic Sekhmet attacked, hissing in the knight's face. Silver Chariot pushed the stand back and started to unleash a volley of thrusts with its sword, deflecting the claws as best as he could as the mimic Sekhmet began to slash with its own Lion's Claw. As Silver Chariot reeled back a bit, the mimic then lunged, slicing away fiercely. Polnareff smirked as she fell right into his trap; Silver Chariot then driving its sword through the farce's shoulders in quick succession. McBrain cried out as her stand was pushed back from the attack, her shoulders bleeding as well and staining her top.

"Ugh, you fucking asshole! You're getting blood all over my fucking blouse! This thing is, like, five hundred dollars! I thought you French guys would at least understand that!" She shrieked while the fake Sekhmet's cobra bracelet on its left arm uncoiled and slithered on the ground as the sand dissipated. Just as the sand dispersed, the cobra struck and bit down on Polnareff's ankle, sucking away at his life as McBrain's wounds healed. "Ooo... that really is a good ability... I like this stand. Goes well with the desert princess chic." She smirked, releasing the cobra from his ankle to return to her stand's side. Just as this happened, the real Sekhmet attacked her. From this, both Anne and McBrain were grazed by each other's stand attacks.

"You really are incredibly stupid… do you think even with your stand's ability, you can take down five of us?" Anne spat.

McBrain shrugged. "Do it all the time, bitch." She looked at her watch. "Well, two minutes is up. Hm… who to outdo next? Decisions, decisions…"

"Heirophant Green! Emerald Splash!" Kakyoin shouted, not planning to waste any more time.

"Emeralds ARE nice… but so is GOLD!" McBrain emitted a high pitched laugh as her mask-stand transformed once again, forming the image of a feminine knight holding a broader sword and a shield. "Golden Chariot is better than Silver Chariot after all, Frenchie!" The female knight drew up a shield, blocking the barrage of emeralds that came her way. She lunged forward to attack Heirophant Green, about to thrust her sword forward when Kakyoin's stand wrapped its tail around the knight's wrist, its sword going flying. McBrain screamed as she held her right wrist, tears streaming down her face. "Smash his fucking face in!" She shouted, Golden Chariot rearing its shield back to slam it into Heirophant Green's side. Kakyoin grunted as he fell to the right, holding his left side as heavy bruising began to blossom under his clothes.

"Alright, you're starting to piss me off, you annoying bitch!" Jotaro shouted. "Ora Ora Ora!" Star Platinum began to send punches at the Golden Knight, its shield beginning to crunch and bend under the pressure.

"Jotaro, keep going, it's about to give!" Joseph exclaimed.

As Star Platinum wound its fist back, emitting another battle cry as it sped towards the dented shield for what it believed to be the final blow, McBrain smirked to herself as the shield broke in two. The rest of the golden knight's armor broke off along with it to reveal a glimmering endoskeleton as it moved back. As her stand darted, it left residual copies of itself with its incredible speed. Polnareff gasped at the fact that the enemy stand was able to imitate even his own's special movement.

"This stand doesn't just copy another stand's abilities, but also its properties." Kakyoin said lowly.

Golden Chariot quickly sped towards its longsword and snatched it up, circling around Jotaro and his stand.

"Oh my god, like, your stand... I have never seen a stand so... perfect! Its strength, its speed... not to mention like, its super hot body... I need to have it!" McBrain said as it parried every slash and thrust from the golden longsword. "Star Platinum, right? Well mine is going to be SUPER Star Platinum!"

"Jotaro! Don't let her copy your stand!" Joseph cried out, fearing the worst case scenario.

The Golden Chariot copies kept attacking Star Platinum more ferociously as its time was running out, looking for the opportunity to wound him. Star Platinum tried to keep up, but even with its speed, it was difficult to attack multiple copies at once while trying to identify the true stand among them. Golden Chariot did what it could to evade the attacks, ducking down when it saw its opportunity to attack and sliced Jotaro's legs from the kneecaps.

"Jotaro!" Anne cried, speeding towards him to catch him as he fell.

"We should have been in there helping him!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"No, it was too risky, the speed they were fighting, we could have wounded Star Platinum without meaning to." Kakyoin said as Anne tried to heal Jotaro's legs, which had nearly been sliced off. She snapped her head up at McBrain's laughter.

"Time's up again... that was fun, but... in the fashion industry, like, platinum is better than gold... and I guess I'll have to agree!" She smirked wickedly, her pupils shrinking as her masked stand transformed again, this time into the image of a slenderer version of Star Platinum. "Super Star Platinum has a nice figure to make her EVEN faster while still having the incredible power with like, every attack!"

"Oh, this is bad..." Polnareff groaned.

"Polnareff, listen to me carefully." Anne said, grabbing his shirt collar as she whispered to him. "Keep her distracted."

"We have to hold it back! If we can do this for two minutes, the stand will have to change again! Mr. Joestar, use your Hermit Purple and my stand's tail to restrain its arms!" Kakyoin shouted as Super Star Platinum was about to lunge forward for an attack.

Heirophant Green wasted no time and shot out its tendrils, completely entangling Super Star Platinum and trapping McBrain in the process. As it charged up its Emerald Splash, the blonde smirked.

"Aww... what, no foreplay?" She asked before easily breaking free, Super Star grabbing the stand by its neck before proceeding to pummel Hierophant Green's face. Kakyoin clenched his teeth as his face became bloodied as a result, feeling as if each punch was becoming closer to caving his head in. "Sorry, sweetie, but when you're trying to involve some kinky shit, I'm like, the one on top!" McBrain laughed as she shoved the stand away. "You're, like, too young for me anyway, creep..."

Joseph stood by back as this happened, watching with clenched teeth as he quickly formulated a plan. Joseph had witnessed time and time again that going against his grandson's stand was akin to suicide, especially when the opponent was not best suited for combat. He needed to use strategy, rather than brute force this time.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Well, this battle is definitely beginning to heat up! Will Joseph be able to get them out of this bind? Will luck be on his side once again? As you already may have seen, I included stats for McBrain and her stand for you to take a look at. In the meantime, please leave a nice little review with your thoughts! Thanks again so much for reading, and see you next time for the second half of this battle! I can tell you this, it's going to have many twists that you won't expect!**


	17. The Fatal Attraction: Part Two

**Good evening, readers! First, I want to apologize for the delay of updates for this fic. Revolver and I had some conflicting schedules for a bit, I had dealt with some technological issues, and I've been working on another fanfiction along with this one, so the combination of these happenings has caused a delay. I have not by any means abandoned this story, and Revolver and I will be trying to get this fic back on track. In the meantime, I've left you on a cliffhanger for quite long enough. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

As soon as Kakyoin was pushed back, Polnareff charged forward with his Silver Chariot, matching his speed with Super Star as he fenced. "Alright, I've had enough of this shit!" He shouted. Each blow from both sides were either parried or dodged, but Polnareff could feel Super Star increasing the pressure against his stand's sword as the seconds passed. One heavy blow might have been enough to snap it clean in half, leaving him defenseless and without a fighting chance. He thought to himself that this may just be the longest two minutes any of them had experienced in their lives.

Suddenly, they were both shrouded in black sand as Anne intervened, showing up with Sehkmet to help Polnareff by- quite literally- keeping McBrain in the dark. No one could see, but Anne was seething beneath her mask. Despite being outnumbered and her current situation, McBrain kept her demeanor, still smirking to herself. Because her stand had copied them already, McBrain had the benefit of knowing all the strengths and weaknesses of Sekhmet and Silver Chariot, not excluding their special attacks. Using the keen eyesight that was a trait of Star Platinum's, Super Star was able to dodge and block each rapier thrust from Silver Chariot despite the black sand clouding her vision.

However, there was one spot she neglected to check.

Sehkmet slowly rose from behind Super Star and began to attack with her Lion's Claw, leaving deep cuts in McBrain's back in the process. This enraged her beyond measure as she realized her expensive blouse was being utterly ruined. McBrain reeled back, her turn now to seethe in anger.

"You fucking bitch, take this!" McBrain screamed at Anne as Super Star's fist sped through the sand and punched Anne directly in the chest. Anne felt her ribcage shatter upon impact as it sent her flying into a wall. Despite being essentially immortal, the pain was immense as the splintered bones stabbed at her insides.

"ANNE!" Polnareff cried before whirling around to narrow his eyes at McBrain. "You're going to pay for tha-" Was all he was able to choke out as Super Star focused all her attention back on Silver Chariot, sending out a barrage of punches to the armorless stand.

As McBrain easily overwhelmed him, Joseph got Jotaro's attention and spoke quietly. "Jotaro, listen to me. Joseph whispered. "I want you to get her in the car and drive away as fast as you can." Jotaro looked back at his grandfather, bewildered by the idea of running away from this fight with the blonde bimbo, especially after she had just laid waste to his friends. Before he could object, Joseph rested his hand on his shoulder, smirking lightly and nodding. Jotaro had become familiar with this expression, one which he wore when he was about to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

After nearly knocking Polnareff out, McBrain faced Jotaro and Joseph after their quiet discussion, giggling as she strutted towards the delinquent. "Only two left now... this was like, WAY easier than I thought. I doubt I'll even have to try to kill the old fart. He probably has a shitty stand anyway..." She said as Super Star floated forward. "I know you're mad right now baby, but hear me out. We don't have to waste our time with this shit, you know? We could travel the world... be beautiful together... you and I..."

Jotaro glanced once at his grandfather, hating that he had to do this, even for the sake of the group. "... Fine. Leave the old man, not like he can really do much anyway. I'll take your offer." He forced himself to say through his teeth.

At this, McBrain gasped, emitting a girly screech as she skipped over to hug his waist. "I knew you'd come around, baby! Come on, you can like, test drive if you want... and I'll test drive YOU when it's like, nighttime." She winked, Jotaro having to prevent himself from vomiting. He shot his grandfather a look before he went with her to the car, sighing lightly. He hoped that this would work or else he was going to lose it. He started the engine, McBrain putting on her glasses as Joseph watched the car drive off.

'Perfect... this will make the time for her stand dwindle... that's it, Jotaro, you know what to do!' Joseph thought to himself.

Jotaro took a deep breath, starting to speed up on the gas as he opened the sunroof. McBrain smirked at this, her hand rubbing one of his arms. He clenched his teeth, using all of his willpower to not toss her out of the window. He saw it then, focusing as he pushed the gas petal harder. He realized that McBrain was too preoccupied to notice, the target drawing nearer and nearer as Jotaro hoped that Joseph would act on the right moment. Joseph watched as Jotaro drove faster and faster towards the side of a large, concrete building, making sure to time it just right when suddenly, having been concealed, he used his Purple Hermit to tug Jotaro out of the driver's seat from around his waist. He yanked him out through the sunroof before McBrain could even realize what was happening, the car swerving before crashing head on into the building. A sickening crunch was heard as the car turned into an accordion, the air bags activating.

Despite the situation, Joseph slapped his knee as he laughed, placing Jotaro down beside him with his Purple Hermit. "I've still got it! Next she's probably going to come out of the car and say, 'Look at what you did to my car, you jerks!'"

McBrain staggered a bit as she got to her feet, seething beyond measure as she slammed her car door, facing them only for it to fall off its hinges. "Look at what you did to my car, you jerks!" She screeched. She was a mess, her clothes, hair and makeup disheveled. "That car was like, worth more than all of you will ever make in your damn lives!"

As Joseph and Jotaro listened to McBrain berating them, Kakyoin and Polnareff ran over to them, having been healed by Anne.

"There you are! Is it over?" Polnareff asked as he saw the wreckage. "Oh... I'd hate to know what the deductible on that is..."

McBrain stumbled towards them, her hand running through her frazzled hair, feeling the open cuts on her head as the two Joestars, Polnareff, Kakyoin, and eventually Anne stood before her. Jotaro couldn't help but chuckle, actually impressed with how his grandfather handled things.

"Good job, old man." He said, making Joseph's grin grow.

Just then, McBrain's stand appeared, and Joseph chuckled at what he considered a final, pitiful attempt. "Let me end this fight now and make things a bit easier for all of us. Hermit Pur-" He stopped when he noticed something off about the stand and stopped the vines from getting closer. 2 minutes to Midnight began to tremble violently, much like its user as she shook with pure rage, its mask beginning to chip and crack as McBrain seemed to be getting angrier by the second. She took off her broken heels, throwing them to the floor as she approached the two.

"You know what? I've had it! I wanted to be nice to you, Jotaro! I really did, and this is how you repay me?! You crash my car, humiliate me, and ruin my beauty?!" She shrieked completely losing her bubbly personality and demeanor. "You think you're the first one to try to ruin me?! I am better than ALL of you!" She was practically gasping, hyperventilating as she screamed. "I ruined those bitches who tried to get me, and I am going to personally rip all of your heads off and give them to Dio in a nice wrapped present with a bow! No shady bitch is going to ever fuck with me again!" She screamed as her stand began to convulse, the mask crackling and splintering as suddenly, it broke apart, scattering all over the ground as the stand emitted a horrible screech, sickening crackling sounds filling the surrounding air as it underwent a disturbing transformation. As long, spindly limbs extended, its entire form twisted and writhed, growing limbs similar to that of the stands she had copied. It grew two arms on both sides, one pair which resembled Sekhmet's claws, while the other pair resembled Star Platinum's left arm and Silver Chariot's right arm. It became a terrifying mash of stands, forming nothing on its head past a fractured lower jaw one side, the bottom half of a hollow eye socket and half a nose. The parts of it seemed to all be moving on their own, separate from all the others but still melded in what seemed like a science experiment gone wrong. The five all stared on in shock, Polnareff reeling back.

"Wh- What the fuck is happening to that thing?!" He shouted.

The stand hissed at the sound of his voice, staggering and limping at a quick pace towards him. "We have to attack!" Anne exclaimed as Polnareff summoned Silver Chariot barely in time to defend himself. Despite being a complete and utter mess, the terrifying stand sending a barrage of different attacks at him as it went completely berserk.

* * *

 **Stand User Name: McBrain**

 **Stand Name: 2 Minutes to Midnight: Overtime**

 **Abilities: Same as its first form except that all stats are increased by one letter. Also, the stand can imitate features or attacks from multiple stands at the same time.**

 **Destructive Power: B**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: B**

 **Development: Infinite**

* * *

Silver Chariot made the best attempt to parry the attacks with its sword, even resorting to remove its armor to keep up with the ferocity of the hideous stand. As Polnareff was dealing with one side of the stand, Anne used Sekhmet to slash at it, but not before it emitted its own black sandstorm and whirled around to directly attack her. She could not keep up, however, suffering serious blows by the stand mimicking Star Platinum's flurry of punches.

"You honestly think you could ever be better than me, bitch?!" McBrain laughed maniacally, appearing to have gone completely insane.

Anne stood her ground, using Sehkmet to slash away as the Asp of Spite uncoiled and latched onto the stand. Joseph watched on and noticed McBrain by herself, defenseless; perhaps any damage from her would reflect on the stand. He ran over to the hysterical blonde and summoned his stand from his arm, shooting the vines towards her and wrapping them around her.

"Hermit Purple! Yes, it's working!" He called out to the group as the stand seemed to have stopped moving a bit. Suddenly, its eyes darted towards Joseph in a disturbing fashion before swaying around rigidly to face him. Its entire form made a spine tingling cracking sound before it limped at a quick pace towards him. It reared one of its arms imitating Star Platinum's back, hitting him hard and sending him flying.

Hierophant Green dove after the elder Joestar, catching him in the air. After ensuring he was safe, Kakyoin had his stand fire emerald splash, grinning when he successfully hit it. It didn't seem to have an effect on it however, as it turned to attack Jotaro instead. The younger Joestar grimaced, using Star Platinum to block the attack with his fists. Star Platinum was able to block most of the attacks thrown at him, but was unable to keep up for long. Jotaro's body began to suffer from deep cuts as the enemy stand mimicked sword and claw attacks. Joseph clenched his jaw as he witnessed this, the enemy stand managing to keep up with and even outmatched all the others.

Just then, he saw something out of the corner of his eyes and got an idea. McBrain was currently in a frenzy, her mind clouded with rage, but she was still an air-headed bimbo deep down. He needed to find something to get her mind off the battle.

As the seemingly unending fight raged on, Polnareff was attacked once again, being strangled by its tight grip as one of the other fists began to punch him in the gut over and over. As he began to cough up blood, Anne screamed his name.

"Alright, you deranged harlot, I'm going to make a bloody Mary out of you!" Anne growled as she dove right for McBrain. As she did, more claws and swords formed and emerged from the back of the stand.

"Die already, you stupid French fuck! Die! Die! Die! Die! DIE!" McBrain screamed out at the top of her lungs as Polnareff began to struggle less, losing blood and breath.

Just as Anne was about to reach her, the stand mimicked Hierophant Green's tail, wrapping around Anne's waist to whip her through the air. As she fell, it caught her, wrapping around her waist once again to begin smashing her repeatedly against the ground.

"Yes! I'll smash you all to fucking pieces, I'll crush you all to DEATH just like the competition! You thought you could do better than me bitch, I'm going to mess you up so bad that I'll break every bone in your body! Now DIE!" McBrain shrieked. Just then, out of nowhere, something small and brown was hurled towards McBrain, smacking her in the face as the small thing clung to her cheek. "Hey, who the hell do you think you are, throwing-" When she took it off her face and looked at it, her red hot scowl slowly disappeared into a blank stare at what she now held in her hand. It was a small Shiba Inu puppy, looking up at her with an irresistibly adorable smile, gently panting as it happily wagged its tail. As McBrain blinked, the tiny pup yipped at her once, tilting its head. Upon doing so, her stand began to revert back to normal, dropping the injured Frenchman as she too reverted back to the bubbly blonde bimbo she was before. "OH. MY. GAWWWWWD! You're, like, such an adorable little puppy! I'm gonna love you and pet you and cuddle you and feed you and dress you up in the latest puppy fashions! You're like, the most adorable puppy in the world!" She squealed, much to the dismay of everyone's eardrums as she hugged the little puppy tightly as it licked her face. "Oh, you little sweetie, nothing could ever keep me from loving you to bits-"

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, Anne had managed to get to her feet, grab a pipe that had been laying nearby, and swiftly hit the back of McBrain's head with the blunt object, knocking her out. Anne breathed heavily, tossing the pipe aside as she began to kick the unconscious blonde repeatedly, clenching her fists and swearing under her breath.

"Anne. Anne!" Joseph exclaimed, taking hold of the furious woman's shoulders to pull her back. "I don't think she's going to hurt us anymore."

"The hell she bloody won't! I'll skin the pretentious broad alive!" She growled, Joseph trying to move her away as gently as he could muster. Jotaro rose his brows. He didn't think there was anyone on the planet that could become more pissed off than he could. As she seethed, she stopped when she heard a thud, looking over to see that Polnareff had collapsed. She swore under her breath, hurrying over to lift his head. "Jean? Jean!" She summoned her Asp of Mercy, taking some time to heal his wounds. When she finally finished, she stumbled as she tried to stand, Kakyoin rushing over to help her to her feet.

"You used too much of your strength, Anne." He frowned as he tried to keep her steady, Polnareff opening his eyes and slowly getting up. As he collected himself, Anne gently pat Kakyoin's arm.

"I'll be fine. I'll feed and take care of the rest of you." She said, taking a few steps towards their car when she stumbled, a second pair of arms catching her. She glanced up through her mask, Polnareff staring at her as his expression softened. Taking her and everyone by surprise, he pulled her into a gentle hug. What surprised them more was that he wasn't saying a word. As the sun began to descend to make way for evening, he tilted his head a bit, smiling as he gently extended a hand to take off her mask. He saw Anne looking up at him with a surprised expression.

"Kakyoin was right." He smiled lightly. "I am stupid." He chuckled.

"Jean…" Anne rose a brow. "Did you lose too much oxygen in that scuffle, perhaps?"

"Maybe I did. But Anne… when I was being strangled to death, my life flashed before my eyes." He cracked a smile. "I understand now. Everything I'll ever need is right here. I don't need endless money, luxuries, women. I only need you guys." He looked up at the others who slowly returned his smile before he looked back at Anne, once again hugging her. "And you of course, Anne."

"Hate to break the moment, but we need to find someplace to stay for the night. We're heading to Saudi Arabia first thing in the morning." Jotaro said.

"Yes. Come on, I'm sure there's something close to here." Joseph replied, the pair of Joestars heading to the car.

Kakyoin turned to approach Anne. "You lost a lot of blood, Polnareff. I'll help Anne to the car." He said, holding out an arm.

"Okay." Polnareff said, Kakyoin noticing he was a bit hesitant to let her go, but did so as they began to make their way back. "Anne?"

"Yes, Jean?" She replied.

"… J'étais fou de penser que vous étiez un démon. Vous êtes devenu mon ange." He said, smiling lighty as he walked past them to get in the car. Anne stopped in her tracks, staring after him for a moment as her expression softened.

"Anne? What did he say? Did he insult you?" Kakyoin said, becoming annoyed.

"… No…" Anne breathed. "No, he did not." She glanced at him a moment before getting into the car. She looked at Polnareff with slight surprise, Kakyoin watching them from the corner of his eyes as Jotaro started the car.

They left McBrain and her destruction behind, driving around for a bit until they found a nearby hotel, far better than what they had experienced in the last day or so. As they settled in, Anne wandered down the hallway. The group gathered in the hall, going to get some refreshments on the first floor.

"I'm going to go to that hospital we passed earlier. I shouldn't be long." Anne said.

"Let me come with you. You're still weak." Kakyoin said.

"Alright, if it isn't too much trouble." She said, the two heading off. The other three went downstairs, getting some dinner and drinks to refuel.

Meanwhile, as Kakyoin and Anne made their way out, the door to the bar down the street opened, a familiar cowboy sighing contently as he began to head towards his car- or rather, the one he stole back in Pakistan. Rather than travel by water, he had driven through Iraq and Saudi Arabia around, hearing others having raved about the city of Abu Dhabi. Hol Horse was about to light up a cigarette when he heard a chillingly familiar British accent, freezing when he realized Anne and Kakyoin were walking casually towards his direction. He panicked, shoving his lighter in his pocket and making a mad dash for the jeep, starting it. He pressed the petal to the metal, sighing once he was far enough.

"Would have been road kill if they saw me… would NOT want to know how that would have looked- SHIT!" He shouted, swerving when he nearly ran right over someone lying in the road. He slammed on the brakes, jamming the car in park before hopping out of it. "Hey, asshole! If you're going to get shit faced, don't do it in the middle of the fucking-" He stopped when in the fading light, he saw it was a young woman lying in the road, bloodied and disheveled. He blinked, looking over to see an expensive car had been reduced to an accordion against the side of a building, "Oh, damn, is that…?" Hol Horse looked around before jogging over, kneeling down to turn the woman over to look at her face. "You're that Valley Girl, McShane- no, McPlain- er-" He stopped when she suddenly came to, coughing and shifting a bit.

"McBrain…" She corrected hoarsely, groaning as she tried to sit up. "… Hol… ? The hell are you, like, doing here? Oh, shit… I'm going to rip that Russian bitch's face off if I ever find her…"

"Russian? Oh, you mean that Anne girl? I think she's English or some fancy shit."

"Ugh, whatever!" McBrain shakily got to her feet. "Oh, shit, my fucking head… ugggggh! Look at me! Look at my fucking car!" She whined, running a hand through her messy hair.

"Boy, they made road kill outta you, little lady. Come on, I have a ride." Hol Horse motioned to his car. "I'll make sure you get nice and cleaned up."

"Really? That's like, totally awesome… good, my credit cards are still here, I would have been fucked… oh are you shitting me?! My eyeliner like, leaked all over the inside of my Prada bag! I'll fucking murder those shitheads!" McBrain screamed, stomping her foot as she rummaged through her purse.

"Come on, you can pull yourself together when we get to the five star hotel you're paying for." Hol Horse rolled his eyes as she bent over to grab her shoes, tilting a bit to get a better look at her behind.

"Wait, what?" She asked, standing back up as she started making her way over.

"Never mind." Hol Horse cleared his throat, whistling to himself.

"I need to like, get out of this hot mess and call Dio… he'll get me a new car…" She sighed, following Hol Horse to his jeep. Once they were both inside, the tires screeched as they drove off.

Once Anne and Kakyoin returned to the hotel, he gently stopped her when she was about to head into her room. "Anne… are you sure you're going to be alright? You still seem a bit tired."

"I'll be fine, thank you." Anne replied. "I'll have opportunity to rest in the car tomorrow." She said before bidding him goodnight, heading into her room. When she closed the door, she leaned against it. When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in that hospital decades ago, in a nurse's outfit she wore each night for her shift. She took a step forward, approaching the same hospital bed she did each night. When she looked upon the man resting in it, she felt something was different. As she walked up to him, she was about to say something when he extended his hand, grasping hers and kissing it tenderly. "Jean…? How did you-"

"This morning, I opened my eyes." He beamed up at her. "I opened my eyes and all day I have eagerly awaited the face of the voice I long for each night to come… and here she is." He breathed, reaching up to touch her face. "Each night I have heard an unearthly sound at my bedside… now I am graced by your heavenly beauty." He gently stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Now, I finally see my Anne… my angel."

Anne opened her eyes, the sun rising up as the light peeked through the drawn curtains. She smiled sadly to herself as the dream of such a bittersweet memory faded from her, rising from her bed as she dressed, placing her mask on. She soon joined the others, getting back on the road once they had breakfast.

"We won't be having this jeep for long…" Joseph said.

"Uh… why not?" Polnareff asked as he drove.

"It won't be effective once we reach Saudi Arabia. We're going to be travelling across the desert, so we'll be renting some camels to travel with." Joseph replied.

"Ugh, I hate deserts…" Polnareff groaned.

"Welcome to the Middle East, Jean." Anne said.

Once they reached the edge of the desert, they turned in the jeep, renting some camels. "Looks like they only have four to spare. Two of us will have to-"

"Oh, Anne can ride with me." Polnareff interjected. He blinked when the others turned their attention to him. "She, uh… wears perfume, so it will keep some of the camel stink away." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"How polite of you, Jean." Kakyoin rolled his eyes. "She won't want to listen to your groaning and complaining. Let her decide who she wants to ride with."

"I think she's made her choice." Jotaro said, looking over to see that she was already seated on one of the camels.

"Try not to get too cozy, gentlemen." Anne smirked under her mask as Joseph was trying to show the rest of them how to ride a camel, struggling a bit as Jotaro watched flatly.

"… Good grief…" He sighed.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And there we have it! So, were you satisfied with the conclusion of this showdown? Were you expecting the second form? Is this the end of McBrain? Leave your thoughts in a review! Please bear with Revolver and I as we continue to work on moving forward. There is still a lot to look forward to! For now, thank you for reading and for your patience. See you next time!**


	18. Death By Daylight

**Good evening, readers! I have returned with a new chapter! Being it's starting to get warmer outside, this is the perfect chapter as things are about to heat up! It's going to be a few chapters before we see our next OC stand user, so Jojo fans know what is to come. Are you ready? Thank you again for your patience, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

When they finally began making their way into the desert, Polnareff sighed as he glanced over his shoulder at Kakyoin. "Will you move back a little? I can feel you breathing down my neck."

"Me? You have plenty of room up front, you're practically sitting on my lap." Kakyoin snapped.

"If the two of you don't shut up, I'm gonna bury you in the sand." Jotaro shot a look at them, the two of them grumbling quietly.

They made their way a bit farther, Anne pursing her lip under her mask. "Joseph, do you happen to know the hour?"

"Not at the moment… what is it, Anne?" Joseph responded.

"Seems odd… we spent a few hours driving and changing transportation… it should be about early evening by now, but the sun's position hasn't changed since we entered the desert." Anne noted.

"Huh. She's got a point, old man. Something feels off." Jotaro added.

"It's getting really hot, too…" Polnareff said as he fanned his face.

"What?!" Joseph said as he took a pocket watch out of his pack. "It's past eight in the evening! How is the sun still so high?!"

"It's getting hotter… the sun must be a stand!" Polnareff shouted.

"Jean, that's ridiculous, no one can control the sun." Anne replied.

"I hate to say it, but he has a point. There can be no other explanation." Kakyoin said.

"But where is the user? There's no one around!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Couldn't be controlling it remotely like Steely Dan. We're going to have to keep an eye out." Jotaro said.

"The camels are beginning to overheat. We need to take cover." Anne said.

"I'll use Star Platinum to make a shelter for them and one for ourselves." Jotaro said before getting to work. He quickly made cover for the camels before making one for them.

"Let me see if I can block this out.. Dark Sandstorm!" Anne called out, using it to block out the sun's harsh rays.

"Ah, very nice, Anne!" Joseph smiled.

"Whoo, now we can cool off!" Polnareff said, putting his arms behind his head as he reclined.

Suddenly, something came out of the swirling sand, a laser beam shooting Anne's leg. She screamed in pain, making the others freeze as they ran to her. More lasers began shooting through the black sand, Kakyoin dragging her into the second shelter as they took cover. The black sand dissipated, Anne biting her lip as Kakyoin gently rolled up her pant leg. He hissed when he saw that the horrible wound slowly healing. The others winced as they entered the small shelter.

"Anne, it's healing really slowly…" Polnareff frowned.

"I'll be fine." She sighed, moving to the back of the shelter as they crowded in. Joseph and Jotaro remained near the front. "Let's try to drink and conserve some- oh shit!" He said as he pulled out a canteen, a giant hole having been shot through it from a laser.

Jotaro took off his cap for a moment to wipe his brow. Polnareff wondered why he was beginning to feel a bit cooler, wondering if it was because he was closer to the back.

"Old man. We have to find the user." Jotaro said.

"You're right." Joseph said, taking out a pair of binoculars. As he tried to view out, a laser shot at him, destroying the binoculars. "Grrr! Son of a bitch!" Joseph shouted as he pounded the ground.

Polnareff kept noticing Kakyoin glancing over by him, his arm draped around Anne's shoulders. "What?"

"You're going to make her MORE overheated, Jean." Kakyoin pointed out.

"I'm comforting her, Noriaki, her leg is healing." Polnareff rolling her eyes.

"Wait a minute. Let me see your face." Kakyoin said.

"Why, you think that's hot too?" He chuckled.

"Actually, the opposite. Why aren't you sweating like the rest of us?" Kakyoin asked.

"Maybe because I'm not dressed like nuns in those oversized student uniforms." Polnareff rolled his eyes.

"No, that's not it." He moved over a bit when he stopped. "Anne, if I may…" He gently took off one of her gloves to feel her hand. "She's cool. That's why you aren't sweating, Anne is like a refrigerator! She's cooling you down!"

"Now that's something I've never been called before…" Anne joked before hissing a bit.

"Your leg is still healing… Anne, something's wrong." Kakyoin said.

"Boys." Joseph looked over his shoulder. "This may sound unconventional, but if Anne is really keeping Polnareff cool, until we find the stand user, you must take turns keeping her near you so we don't overheat."

"Wh- What?! Mr. Joestar, Anne is not some wet rag to be passed around!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Look, we all need to stay alive. If Anne can keep us from roasting, then it's what's going to work." Jotaro said as he and Joseph resumed trying to detect any movement.

Polnareff cleared his throat. "I- I agree with Noriaki… she should stay where she is-"

"Jean." Kakyoin shot him a look, taking off his jacket as Anne moved over towards him.

"Never thought I would be assisting anyone in such a manner, but I'm sure you've all encountered more bizarre occurrences in the past." Anne sighed as Kakyoin placed a gentle hand on her back. He glanced over to see Polnareff staring, one eye twitching a bit.

'Why is my eye twitching? Must be the heat. But why am I clenching my fists? I feel really angry. But it's not anger, exactly… man… that damn Kakyoin snuggling up to Anne like she's a soft, gorgeous teddy bear-… wait. WAIT. Am I… jealous?' Polnareff thought to himself.

After about ten minutes passed, Polnareff couldn't take anymore. "Okay, that's enough."

"What do you mean, that's enough?" Kakyoin asked.

"You know what I mean! Look at her, she's clearly uncomfortable!" Polnareff shouted.

"… Jean, I had no idea you could see through my mask. Look, this is an odd predicament, but we are under extenuating circumstances. The last thing I wish is for you all to be roasted." Anne said.

"Very well. Jotaro, you should cool down." Kakyoin said.

Jotaro sighed, wiping his brow. "Fine, but don't make this some sort of snuggle fest."

"Come now, I don't think I have a death wish." Anne said, making Jotaro smirk lightly.

'Crap, all the women love him! Look at the sweat pour off of him! Wait, maybe women don't like sweat, they might think it's all gross and stuff… but he's hot! What if Anne likes that? Why am I asking myself these questions?! Is the heat going to my head?! Sacre bleu! Am I in love?!' Polnareff thought to himself.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Jotaro asked before glancing down at her leg. "Speaking of surprises, your leg is still healing. Why?"

Anne hissed lightly. "Fine… I did not wish to burden you all, but… even after feeding in Abu Dhabi… the extent of the injuries I had to heal… I wasn't able to get quite enough from the blood supply to completely replenish my strength."

"What?!" Joseph suddenly exclaimed. "We have to get you more blood right away!"

"We aren't going to be doing anything in our current situation. When we reach the next major city, I will search for another hospital." Anne replied.

"We can't risk you becoming too weak. We already have come close to losing you, I'm not taking that risk. We're going to have to find some kind of source soon." Joseph said.

Kakyoin frowned deeply. He had went with Anne to the hospital back in Abu Dhabi. How could he have been so foolish- why didn't he make sure she'd had enough? He knew she seemed a bit off still that night, but he mistakenly thought nothing of it. He knew what had to be done for her to be healing this slowly- she needed blood now, and there was one place she was going to get it from: them.

"Anne… I think that you probably should-"

"Take it from me." Polnareff suddenly interjected, cutting Kakyoin off as he shot a shocked look at him.

"What? Are you out of your senses?" Anne asked.

"I'm not kidding. Who knows when we're going to find this stand user. If we're here for a few hours, a day even, what will you do? I can always refuel once we get out of this, but you need blood now." Polnareff said.

"You haven't the slightest idea what you're asking." Anne stated.

"I know you don't want to do it. You think that taking blood from live humans makes you a monster. But Anne, letting you suffer and get weaker would make ME a monster. Please. Let me help you." Polnareff insisted.

Anne sighed. "Very well. But I'm only taking so much. I'm compromising your well-being as it is."

Anne scooted away from Jotaro, making her way towards the back of the small shelter to awkwardly seat herself in Polnareff's lap. She reached a hand up to take off her face mask.

"Isn't it easier to feed with your fingers?" Kakyoin asked, clearing his throat when she looked at him. "I heard Joseph saying that's the most common way for vampires to feed."

"You're right about that. But I am not a brute. Dio mercilessly leaves gaping wounds in his victims which take months to heal… if they're even left alive, that is." She then turned her attention to Polnareff. "This will hurt a bit. I will try to be quick." She said before biting into where his shoulder met his neck, sinking her teeth just enough for blood to flow.

Polnareff bit his lip a bit as Anne drank, shutting his eyes for a moment. A flashback echoed within his mind: he was back in Enyaba's hotel. His heart was racing as he felt Anne shove him against the wall like a rag doll, sinking her teeth into his neck. The greater part of him was terrified, and rightfully so.

But then, there was a smaller part of him which felt something else.

He couldn't quite determine what feeling that was, but he felt it growing in his stomach again, growing more than it had the first time, as he slowly opened his eyes. Wait… when did he rest his hands on the back of her shoulders? When had the pain from the bite melt away? He rested his head back against the rock as seconds seemed like hours. And then, suddenly, it was done. Anne withdrew from him, moving back to rest herself against the shelter wall, closing her eyes a moment as she licked her lips. Polnareff watched as a drop of his own blood slowly trickled down her chin, taking out a handkerchief to wipe it up. Just then, he was snapped out of his stupor when Kakyoin nudged him.

"Jean, I know you're probably having a heat stroke and may be suffering from blood loss, but stop gawking at her like a lovesick puppy." He hissed. "This is no time for nonsense."

Polnareff blinked, not even realizing he had been doing so. When he decided to move his gaze to his feet, that's when he made a horrific discovery. He internally began to panic.

'Shit, THAT'S why I feel so light headed, what blood is left in my body went to my-'

"Jean, now is a very bad time to need to use the restroom. Although, you've probably dealt with worse as it is." Anne chuckled lightly. "Funny… didn't you relieve yourself not long ago?" She smirked.

Polnareff thought his heart was going to stop. He dared not look at Kakyoin, he had become far too quiet at Anne's statement. Not having any idea what to do, he flopped forward and down, laying on his stomach. "Mr. Joestar, let me help you look!" He exclaimed, chuckling nervously when suddenly, he spotted something. He blinked, thinking at first that perhaps he was hallucinating. When he determined he wasn't, he began to snicker, bursting out into a fit of laughter.

"What in the hell is wrong with you, Polnareff?!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Look! Don't you see it?!" Polnareff laughed.

Kakyoin's eyes followed where Polnareff was looking, he too suddenly bursting out with laughter. Anne moved forward a bit when Jotaro also began to snicker, shaking his head.

"Oh my- has that been there all this time? What fools we are!" She chuckled.

"Polnareff, Kakyoin! Jotaro, Anne, not you too, calm down!" Joseph exclaimed. "Oh my God… the heat has gone to their heads, they're all losing their minds-" He was cut off when Anne turned his head, pointing out what they were all looking at.

Not far from them, there was a rock perfectly identical to one across from it, as if it were a reflection in a mirror. "Get him, Jotaro!" Kakyoin fist pumped the air.

Jotaro summoned Star Platinum, the stand picking up a sizeable rock, hurling it towards the supposed reflection. It shattered what was indeed a mirror, hearing a thud from the other side.

"What?! There's a hole in free space!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Good grief…" Jotaro shook his head as he emerged from the shelter, the others following him. "… I swear, he's going senile."

"Come now, Jotaro. We were all oblivious to this ridiculous act for quite some time. We'll just blame our strange behavior on the heat, hm…?" She said, glancing at Polnareff for a moment before they went over to inspect the stand user on the other side of the mirror, knocked out cold.

"That's why we didn't see him, he concealed himself with this mirror. Rather comfortable back here actually, it actually has an air conditioner!" Kakyoin said.

"Wait… so does this mean that the Sun card stand is taken care of already?" Joseph asked.

"It seems so… look, the sky is darkening. The hour is nearly nine now." Anne said as she looked up, taking off her mask and shrugging out of her cloak.

"Well, the camels are all still intact because I was able to give them cover. If we keep traveling, we should reach a city before the night is over." Joseph said.

The group traveled through the night, Anne rolling her eyes and tossing over a blanket to Polnareff when she noticed he was shivering. A few hours later, they managed to find a small town, booking a few rooms in a small inn to rest for the night. As Polnareff settled in, he felt a cool, comforting breeze suddenly. He turned to look behind him, blinking when he saw Anne had slipped in without a sound.

"Anne?" Polnareff called softly. He had his curtains opened, the moonlight resting upon her ivory skin.

"I… haven't thanked you yet. For earlier today." Anne said as she approached him. "I don't think you would have done so if it were only a few weeks prior."

Polnareff frowned. "Unfortunately… I don't think so either."

Anne smiled lightly. "Much has changed in such a short time, hasn't it?" She asked, going over to the window to look out. "Even being alive over a century… it still amazes me how quickly things can progress." She looked back at him. "It frightens me."

Polnareff scoffed. "I don't think anything can scare you."

"Quite the contrary, Jean." Anne took a step towards him. "I've been more frightened in these past several weeks than I have in my life."

"Why? Because of all the assassins?" Polnareff asked.

"No. I'm not afraid to die. I'm not afraid to die for someone I love." She looked up at him. A moment passed. "I'm afraid to keep losing the ones I give my heart to." Polnareff was quiet. "So when my heart feels something, wants to give itself again… I become fearful. But… as I said before… it amazes me how quickly things progress. Hatred and resentment melting into compassion and affection."

Polnareff frowned lightly, nodding. "Anne… I appreciate you trusting me with all this. I can… understand where you're coming from, I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you?" She asked. "We have both lost much. We know what a solitary life is."

"Yeah… but I can see why you like him." Polnareff said.

"What do you mean?" Anne asked.

"Noriaki. I know he likes you… he's smarter than I am. Less of a fool."

Anne took a step closer, turning his head to make him look at her. "I do care very deeply for Noriaki. He is very dear to me. Sometimes… I have imagined a life with him, but… he has many things. A home, family, a wholesome future with... light. But I must dwell in the shadows. He would have to give too much. I would have to take too much. He would be drained living a life with me. He would never admit it… but each day I would look at him, what he would have to sacrifice, and my heart would break." Polnareff was silent. "There is one who knows true darkness… I have begun to see him open up, to see me as something beautiful. His eyes are being opened. Perhaps… we could create our own little light, a candle… to dispel the darkness around us. Our own little space in life. To the world, we would be barely existing, but to one another… we would become the whole world."

Polnareff gently pulled Anne into a hug, resting his chin on her head. "Cela me semble parfait." He smiled softly. "Anne… I can't explain it, but… maybe… I was scared too. And… I didn't want to believe there was a woman that existed who was so… perfect. And you may not think you are… but you're perfect for… me. It sounds cliché, but… even after everything, you still fight for me. You know me better than I know myself. I guess… you must be more stubborn than I am."

Anne smirked lightly, looking up at him. "Perhaps I am." Her smile melted into something a bit sadder then as she studied his face.

"What is it?" Polnareff asked after a few moments.

"… Something came to me just now…" She said quietly. "… it was the last thing Jean said to me… before his life faded from his eyes." Her fingertips gently brushed the side of his face. "He told me that somehow… someway… he would find me again. "

Polnareff smiled softly. "Sorry it took so long." Anne chuckled lightly at this as he rested his forehead against hers, their eyes closing as their lips met. They held each other close, testing the waters as they kissed. It was a cool, but comfortable night, just right for them… just as they discovered they were for one another. After some time passed, they separated, Anne studying him for a few moments. "Now I can really say I'm in love."

"You hopeless sap." Anne laughed quietly as he rolled his eyes playfully. "We have another long day tomorrow. Back into the desert."

"Yeah… I swear, I thought it would be like the beach…" Polnareff groaned.

"Beaches have oceans, Jean. Deserts don't." She smirked. "Well then… until tomorrow?" She said, about to leave when Polnareff took her hand, planting another kiss upon her lips and taking her by surprise.

"Bonne nuit, ma cherie." Polnareff said quietly .

"Et toi aussi." Anne replied, glancing over her shoulder as she slipped out of the room.

Polnareff stared after her for a moment before closing his door, grinning to himself before flopping back on his bed. As he stared at the ceiling, he felt a warm, bubbly feeling in his stomach, hugging himself lightly. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy, content.

Meanwhile, in the very next room, the opposite was happening.

Kakyoin tossed and turned in his sleep, biting his lip as sweat rolled down his face. He felt a sense of dread, a sinking feeling as his mind descended into a vivid nightmare.

He found himself in what looked like a carnival, the sky a multitude of odd, unsettling colors. He furrowed his brows deeply as he quickly became tense. How did he get here? Where was this place? As he wondered to himself, he suddenly heard something, turning to see a child running from a Ferris Wheel. "Hey! Kid, wait! I need to ask you something!" He called to the child, but they did not stop. He tried to run after the child, a young boy, turning corners and almost seeming to be just out of reach. He finally spotted him run into a Gravitron, running inside, only for the door to slam behind him. He looked around, seeing the boy on the opposite side. He was about to say something when the ride started, Kakyoin having to back up against one of the pads as the room began to spin. He stared at the child quizzically, noticing the boy seemed lethargic, his head bowed so his face was hidden.

As the speed of the ride increased, the lights began to flicker. When they did, Kakyoin gasped when the boy suddenly disappeared, nowhere to be seen. He was about to cry out for the boy when he heard an eerie voice echo within the space.

"Lalihoo…"

"Heirophant Green!" He shouted, but his stand did not appear. His heart raced when a clown like figure was now on the opposite side of him where the child had been, its head bowed. The lights continued to flicker as the ride spun faster and faster, increasing the pressure against his chest as his heart raced. Each time the lights went out and illuminated once again, the clown was one panel closer to him within the circular space. Kakyoin breathed unevenly when the clown finally appeared right next to him, staring with empty eyes as Kakyoin shut his own, gritting his teeth as the lights went out. He felt as if he were being crushed by the pressure, unable to find relief until he jolted upright.

His head was spinning to the point where he fell out of bed, stumbling and trembling as he shakily grabbed some water, guzzling it down. He sat against the edge of the bed, resting his head back as he tried to steady his breath. His hair clung to his sweaty face, a shaky hand moving it away from his eyes. Once he was able to think somewhat clearly, he tried to stand, hissing when there was a knock at the door.

"Kakyoin? What the hell is taking you so long?" Jotaro was heard on the other side of the door. "We have to catch a plane in less than an hour."

"Shit..." Kakyoin swore under his breath. "Okay, I'll be right out."

"Hurry up. I expect this from Polnareff, not you." Jotaro replied before his fading footsteps were heard. Kakyoin sighed as he rubbed his forehead. What the hell was with that dream he had? He barely remembered it, but he knew he didn't have time to dwell on it now. He felt exhausted, but they still had work to do.

When he finally cleaned himself up, packed, and met with the others outside the inn, Anne looked over at him. "Noriaki."

"Hm?" Kakyoin answered her in a bit of a daze.

"Is something the matter? You look fatigued." She said.

"... I didn't sleep very well last night. Let's just get through this plane ride and I'll catch up on sleep when we have a chance to rest."

Anne stared at him for a moment longer before glancing at Polnareff on the other side of her. She wondered if Kakyoin had overheard or saw anything, hoping that his fatigue was just coincidence. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him emotional distress.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Alright! Jojo fans know who has just been introduced! The next few chapters are going to be quite a "wild ride," so stay tuned! I will be going on vacation for a couple weeks, so it will be some time before another update. In the meantime, leave your thoughts about what has happened this far. Thank you all again for reading, and see you next time!**


	19. Death By Daylight: Part Two

**Good evening, readers! I have returned with another chapter! For any Jojo fans out there, some things are going to play out a bit differently. Death 13 is going to be quite extensive, so as you will see, this is going to be a three parter. I am going on vacation for a couple weeks, so it's going to be some time before the next chapter is updated. In the meantime, please enjoy this update!**

* * *

Hol Horse blinked his eyes open, rubbing them as he sat up. He groaned a bit, scratching his head. McBrain was already awake, taking a drag of her cigarette.

"Feeling better today, hot stuff?" She smirked, handing her cigarette to Hol so he could take a few puffs.

"My head is spinning... we vodeodoed pretty damn hard last night."

"I party hard, baby. Besides, I wasn't going to be bored while Dio was sending a boat."

"What time is it getting to the docks?"

"In a few hours. I'll call a limo to drive me there."

"You know... I could just drive you." Hol said after a brief pause, McBrain blinking and looking at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

McBrain snickered. "Hol, honey, I like, know your way with girls. You have your fun and then you like, ride into the sunset and disappear forever."

Hol was quiet for a moment. "Well, we're partners now, aren't we? You're gonna have to meet up with me in Egypt."

"Well... why not just... come with me?" McBrain asked.

"Gonna need some more time to come down from this high, little lady. Just go and tell him our plan and I'll meet up with you."

McBrain smirked then. "You little chicken shit... you're scared of Dio, aren't you?"

"Huh?! Are you kidding, I could kill him in a second!" Hol said defensively.

"Then why don't you?" McBrain smirked wider. "Take all his cash. I'd turn that 'haunted mansion' into 'palm springs,' baby. It would be OUR empire."

"Well, you're the woman with the plan, so it's better you go." Hol said. "I'll go along with whatever you're doing."

She pursed her lip as she shrugged. "Fine. Come on." She hopped out of bed, her things already packed. After dressing, Hol noticed that McBrain cleaned up very well. He wondered if women had some magic trick to go from looking like a hot mess to looking fine in such a short amount of time. She put on her shades, hopping into the jeep before they were off.

* * *

The plane finally arrived to pick up the Crusaders, the non-commercial aircraft halting on the landing strip where the group was waiting. Polnareff helped Anne inside like a proper gent before getting in himself, Jotaro following suit. As Joseph was about to get inside, a woman wearing a black sari quickly approached them.

"Please… this baby is dying, it has a terrible fever! It only seems to thrive when it is cool in the night… there are no other planes coming for two days, but if we wait that long the child will not survive!" The woman cried.

"I don't know if this is a good idea… we're pressed for time and this isn't a vacation… if we run into a stand user, the baby will be in danger." Polnareff said.

"Joseph, this plane isn't going to give us any trouble, is it?" Anne asked.

"All checked out. It's definitely a plane, not a stand." Jotaro replied. "Besides, I'm more worried about my grandfather's ability to fly killing us before an assassin." He said, smirking as Anne chuckled.

"Very funny! Alright, we'll take the child. As soon as we reach the next town though, we're dropping it off at the closest hospital and moving on." Joseph said, Kakyoin frowning lightly as the child was passed to Anne. When she held the infant boy, she tilted her head. Despite wearing the mask, she seemed as if something was amiss.

"Anne… is everything alright?" Kakyoin asked.

Being they were inside the plane, she slowly took her mask off, her brows twisted as she propped the child up a bit.

"If you're uncomfortable, I can hold him if you want." Joseph offered.

"Dear God…" Anne breathed as she lifted the child's upper lip, her eyes widening as she looked around. "… this cannot be possible.'

Polnareff grimaced. "Ugh, nasty teeth on this kid."

"That's why the child has a fever… it's in the process of turning!" Anne exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Jotaro asked.

"Someone has turned this child!" Anne exclaimed, turning the baby so Jotaro could see that there was nothing ordinary about the two protruding teeth in his small mouth…

They were fangs.

"Who would have done such a thing?!" Joseph gasped.

"Who do you think? Who is the only other vampire we know of?" Anne hissed.

"But if that's the case, then we need to get rid of this kid as soon as we-"

"No." Anne cut Kakyoin off. "We will care for this child until he can fend for his own. He will need blood. He has a fever because he is becoming unable to tolerate the sun. Once he's fully turned, he will burn in it as I do." Anne said as she cradled the infant boy. "That sick bastard… I will make sure Dio pays dearly for this."

"I need some rest…" Kakyoin sighed, leaning against the back of his seat.

"You know, a nap doesn't sound too bad, Kakyoin. I'm going to take a page out of your book for once." Polnareff chuckled, putting his hands behind his head as he settled a bit lower into his seat.

As they dozed off, Joseph reached over to take Anne's hand as she stared at the infant boy sadly. "Anne, he will be alright. We will take care of him."

She nodded. "He will begin feeding soon. I can smell his blood. He is changing, but it is progressing slowly. Being he is so little, it won't be a problem for him to feed from me."

"Grandpa, didn't you tell me vampires could only be created using a stone mask? If there aren't anymore, how was Dio able to change him?" Jotaro asked.

"I have no idea… but this is very disturbing." Joseph sighed lightly.

As the three spoke quietly, Kakyoin and Polnareff fell into a deep sleep… or so it was thought. The baby glanced over at them through narrowed eyes, his fangs glistening as he watched them sleep. Kakyoin hissed in a breath when he opened his eyes to find himself once again within the confines of the freakish carnival, noticing that this time, he was on a dizzying carousel. He stood to his feet, the sky dark purples and reds with orange clouds as flames erupted around the perimeter of the ride, preventing any possible escape. He backed up, furrowing his brows when he heard a voice that made him jump.

"Hey, Kakyoin!"

"Ah!" The red-head whirled around, putting a hand on his heart. "Polnareff- what are you doing here?"

"... No idea, actually... what is this place? You're the first person I've seen actually."

"This isn't a place, Polnareff, this is my nightmare! What are you doing in my nightmare?"

"Will you relax? Come on, we've been working so hard, we deserve a break. I wonder if this place has ice cream?"

"Stop it! I need to figure out what is going on here! How can two people have the same nightmare? Unless... Polnareff... this could be the work of a stand user!"

"You're getting too worked up. Come on, relax, enjoy the ride." Polnareff said as he reclined in one of the seats on the carousel, putting his feet up.

"Jean, I'm not playing around, there's something sinister-..." He stopped when he heard something shifting, a circular cap on the floor moving like a maintenance worker coming out of a manhole. He backed up when something began to emerge, a mask rising. The mask itself was extremely disturbing, stretching into a wide, unsettling smile. The rest of the individual was covered in black, crouching down once the cap was moved back to cover the hole, staring at Kakyoin. As he looked around, more began to emerge, and they began to climb onto the horses to pull themselves up using the poles to hang from the ceiling of the ride. "We have to get out of here."

"Alright, five more minutes... this is so comfy." Polnareff said as he waved a lazy hand at his friend.

Just then, Kakyoin heard something, looking over to see a pretty young woman wandering about the carousel. She seemed uneasy, looking all around her. The masked ones above them kept their heads bowed, concealing their faces. The woman stopped when she noticed Kakyoin.

"Please, I'm lost." None of them saw one of the masked ones lift its head, looking in the direction of the sound.

"Are you... dreaming too?" Kakyoin asked as he looked from her to Polnareff.

"I don't know how to get out of here... please, I just want to see my-" Just then, one of the masked ones hopped down, scrambling as it grabbed her. She screamed, more of them hopping down as Kakyoin backed up, hoisting Polnareff up by his arm as he finally snapped out of his lazy stupor.

"Do you see now?!" He shouted above the woman's screaming as they dragged her, uncovering one of the holes as they shoved her inside. They all crouched down, tilting their heads one way and another.

"Kakyoin, who are they, what are they doing-"

"Shh." Kakyoin hushed him. "I don't... think they can see. Look... they're listening."

"How do we get off this thing then and away from them?"

"I don't know. I don't remember how I woke up last time."

"Then let's slice those bastards up!"

"Polnareff, your voice!" Kakyoin exclaimed as one of the masked ones heard him, beginning to scramble over on all fours.

"Silver Chariot! Hey, why isn't this working?!"

"Stop shouting, you idiot, they're going to-" Kakyoin clenched his teeth as he was seized, he and Polnareff struggling as they were forced into the holes in the floor. They dropped a ways until they fell onto something moist, grimacing as Polnareff outwardly gagged.

"What is this, it's sticky?!" He exclaimed.

"I found a flashlight!" Kakyoin shouted as he made his way towards him. They both got to their feet, looking at the unidentified sticky material covering the ground. They cleaned themselves off as best as they could before trying to navigate the area. "We have to get back to the surface somehow."

"Kakyoin... if this is really a nightmare, why aren't we waking up?"

"I have no idea." Kakyoin stopped when he heard gasping, shining the flashlight over to see the woman from earlier. "Oh my-" He ran over, kneeling down. "M'am, are you hurt?"

"Help... me... can't... breathe..." She wheezed, a chill running down Kakyoin's spine as her skin became hard, like plastic, her face beginning to contort into a wide, unsettling smile. Kakyoin reeled back, shaking his head.

"Polnareff... that's why they dragged us down here, they're changing her into whatever they-" He stopped when he saw that Polnareff was being held hostage from the clown he saw in the first nightmare, a scythe being held to his neck as Polnareff clenched his teeth.

"Lalihoo..."

"Who are you?! What do you want from us?!"

"I want you both to die." It spoke as it pressed the scythe into Polnareff's throat, making a thin cut.

"Why?! Are you a stand user, are you working for Dio?!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"I'm a genius! That's what I am, a genius! I may not be able to walk yet, or even shit in a toilet, but I'm smarter than all of you! I can come up with all sorts of twisted ways to torture and kill people... and the best part is, they'll never even suspect me!"

"Wait a second... you-... the baby! It can't be!" Kakyoin shouted. "How can such a new, small life have so much evil inside of them?!"

"Guess it won't matter, will it…? You're going to watch Polnareff die right in front of you!" The clown shouted as it raised its scythe to bring it down upon Polnareff. Kakyoin cried out, but furrowed a brow when his friend began to disappear. "Oh, well, that's too bad… someone woke him up."

"Woke him up? Yes! He'll wake me up as soon as he comes to and save me!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Lalihoo! No he won't, because he will have no memory of this dream! Hehe, you're going to die now, Kakyoin!" The clown shouted as it cackled.

Meanwhile, Polnareff groaned as Joseph shouted his name. "Polnareff! Change the baby's diaper before you doze off! I will not tolerate you all leaving everything to Anne. We all have to pitch in."

"Wha-…? Oh, alright, alright…" Polnareff sat up and stretched his arms. As he did, he glanced over when he noticed Kakyoin wincing and whimpering lightly in his sleep. As this happened, the baby grumbled lightly, Anne hushing him as she cradled him gently. Jotaro looked over his shoulder, raising a brow at him.

"Hush, love…" Anne said gently as she cradled the infant.

"Did it just say something?" Jotaro asked. "Must be hearing things."

Anne looked up at him flatly. "Jotaro, he may be turning into a vampire, but the child is not an 'it.' I'm sure he's quite irritated by the effects of the change."

"Alright, alright… good grief. It's like you're his mother already or something." Jotaro replied.

"I may very well be… I'm the only one he has right now." Anne said.

"Ugh, I think I had a bad dream… I can't remember it though…" Polnareff rubbed his head.

"Polnareff, stop dilly dallying and change that diaper!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Alright, alright… Anne, how the hell do I do this? This isn't a diaper, this is just a cloth!" Polnareff groaned.

"Here, hold him… gently, Jean, and support his head. That's it. Look at this little sweetness." She smiled softly, kissing the baby's forehead as she rested the cloth across her lap. She did her best to clean him with what supplies they had before instructing Polnareff on what to do. Joseph looked at them in the rear view mirror, smiling softly.

"Jotaro, I've never seen Anne this tender before. She would make a wonderful mother. She seems to soften up around children." Joseph noted to him.

"I guess. She does know we can't keep that kid forever, right?" Jotaro asked.

Joseph sighed lightly. "I know… just let her enjoy the little one's company while she can. Children are certainly a joy to be around." He smiled lightly as Jotaro tugged on his cap a bit.

Just then, Kakyoin began to thrash in his sleep, disturbed by the nightmare that he was having. As he began to stab his arm in his nightmare, the baby grimaced, narrowing his eyes. 'Damn it… that idiot kicked the controls while he was tossing and turning… he's going to kill me too if he keeps this up!'

Joseph struggled to get control of the plane as Polnareff had to hold Kakyoin down, Joseph colliding into a coconut tree before making a rough landing.

"Hey. Kakyoin, wake the hell up!" Polnareff shouted, shaking the red head as he came to. "What the hell is up with you, you nearly killed us when you were flailing everywhere!"

"Noriaki, this is becoming quite troublesome. When we have the opportunity we should have you checked out." Anne said as she held the baby. "There there, darling… what a brave boy you are. Hm... his fever has gone."

"Oh, that's good to hear!" Joseph smiled, walking over to make funny faces at the baby. Anne chuckled when the baby giggled at him. "He's already becoming comfortable with us."

"Grandpa, there's a radio here." Jotaro said, calling his grandfather over as Polnareff rose a brow at him making faces at the baby.

'That old fart is getting on my nerves… I swear, if this woman wasn't so pretty I wouldn't be able to stand her either.' He glanced over at Kakyoin looking at his arm then. The red-headed stared down at words he had carved into his arm, realizing he had not merely stabbed himself in an attempt to wake himself up.

He had cut the words "Baby Stand" into his arm.

"Baby… stand…?" Kakyoin whispered to himself. When he looked back at the infant boy, the child quickly diverted his gaze from Kakyoin, making him very unsettled. When Anne went over to help set up a fire, Kakyoin went over, tensely yanking the child up to stare at him. "Look at me again. Go on, show me that I'm not losing my mind!"

Anne frowned when she heard the child beginning to wail, her mask and cloak off now that it was evening. She hurried over, her brows furrowing when she quickly plucked the boy from Kakyoin's hands to hold him, staring at him warily. "What were you doing? Why were you being so rough with him?"

Kakyoin sighed, looking around before leaning in. "Anne, I don't trust him."

"Trust…?" She rose her brows when she looked from the baby to him. "Noriaki, you cannot be serious."

"Anne, I've been having these terrible nightmares since the last inn we slept at, and ever since this baby has been around, they've gotten worse. I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. Every time you have had a suspicion, I have trusted your instinct. I think this baby may not be what he seems." He said as Anne stared in silent shock for several moments, the baby looking from one to the other unsurely.

"… Noriaki, go get some rest. You need to clear your head." She said plainly.

"Anne, please, just-"

"What are you asking of me? Would you have me abandon a tiny infant in the middle of the desert, completely unable to defend himself?!" She exclaimed, Polnareff coming over.

"Hey, what's going on? Anne, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm telling you, that baby is… it's evil! Inhuman!" Kakyoin exclaimed, Anne furrowing her brows deeply in response.

"Oh… I see clearly now." Her voice became shaky then. "You are the last person I would have expected this from. So is this what you think of me also? That I'm evil and inhuman? This poor thing was turned against his will and left to die! I will not stand here and allow a small defenseless child to suffer!" She got up, storming off with the baby. Noriaki tried to protest, but Polnareff stopped him.

"I've said some horrible things to Anne in the past… things I regret. But that was just insensitive. You know Anne gets emotional around young children because she lost her unborn niece." He frowned. "Not to mention all her vampire stuff."

"Jean, that's not- that baby is-"

"Just drop it, okay? I'm going to sleep. You should too." He said before going over to Anne, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders. As he consoled her, Jotaro approached them.

"What's with all the bickering? Grandpa's trying to cook some dinner." He said.

"Jotaro, I think Kakyoin is acting very strangely… do you think he's going to be able to hold up for much longer? He's really not acting like himself." Polnareff said.

As Jotaro sighed, Anne rose. "I'm going to try and see if I can help the child learn how to feed. Please excuse me." She said, going off to sit on her own with the boy. She tugged on her collar a bit, revealing the skin of her shoulder. She held his face to the skin just under her collarbone, moving her hair to the other side so it wasn't in the way. The infant licked his lips before sinking his small fangs into her skin. "There you are, sweetheart. Such a quick learner you are." Anne smiled gently.

'Ha, of course I am, I'm a genius! I thought she was going to believe Kakyoin for a second there, but maybe this lady isn't so terrible… she's going to keep me safe and the others convinced that I'm just cute as a button. She may not be able to sleep, which is going to be annoying as hell, but if I can kill the other four before she suspects anything, then Dio can take care of her himself… that's what he wants, anyway. I'll be the best! Hehe!'

Later on, Joseph announced he was finished cooking some dinner. Anne placed the baby in his little basket, smiling lightly. "I'll be just a moment, love." She got up, heading over to get a small bowl for him.

'Ugh, finally… I'll need her to protect me from the red headed asshole, but she's annoying.' He eyed something then, his eyes widening when he saw a scorpion crawl into the basket. 'Shit! Lady, come back here!' As the scorpion neared him, he hissed, thinking quickly as he unlatched the safety pin of his diaper, stabbing the scorpion and flicking it out of the basket. The baby wiped a brow before readjusting the safety pin. 'That was close…' Just then, he glanced over to see Kakyoin staring at him with wide eyes. 'Damn it, he saw me!'

"Did you see that?! Did any of you just see this baby kill a scorpion?!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking over. "Kakyoin, what are you talking about?" Joseph asked.

"I just saw this baby, not even a YEAR old, kill a scorpion that crawled into its crib!" He exclaimed.

"Noriaki, the child is a BOY, not some creature!"

"It's evil, Anne! Look, I can show you, he took off the-… safety pin…" His voice faded when he saw it had been resecured. "How did you do it? You little bastard, tell me how you got that back on your diaper!"

"Noriaki." Anne growled lowly as she came between him and the basket. "You will distance yourself from this child and you will not speak to me again."

"Anne… why don't you believe me…?" Kakyoin whimpered. "I don't care that he's a vampire, that's not what's-"

"He is a BABY. Move away. Now."

"Kakyoin, you're tired. Go get some rest." Joseph said to him.

Kakyoin twisted his brows deeply, clenching his teeth as Polnareff came over to put an arm around Anne's shoulders. When Kakyoin finally moved away, Anne took the baby, going over by the fire to hold him. As she did, she chuckled as Joseph fed him. He was being fussy, making him frown a bit.

"Don't fret, he is probably beginning to favor blood. He'll come around." Anne said.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And we're ending it here for now, readers! So, will the baby outsmart the crusaders? Will he continue to place a rift between Anne and Kakyoin? Stay tuned for the next update! Thank you to all who read, see you next time!**


	20. Death By Daylight: Part Three

**Good evening, readers! First off, I want to apologize for the long delay in the update. Between my two week vacation and Revolver's schedule, it took some time before we were able to get some solid work done. However, we've been making some great progress, and we now are back on track! Hopefully the anticipation hasn't been too overwhelming, and I hope you enjoy part three of this portion of the story!**

* * *

Kakyoin sat in deep thought. He looked at his arm again, sighing lightly. Thinking of one last resort, he got up, heading over to them.

Polnareff looked up, stopping him. "Look, Noriaki… Anne is just starting to feel better. You really upset her back there."

"No. There is something you all need to see… to prove I'm not crazy." Kakyoin said to him.

"What are you talking about? Look, that kid is creepy and all, but Anne really likes him… can't you hold up for her?"

"No. It's going to kill us all. Come with me." Kakyoin said. He approached the group, Anne grimacing as he came up to her. "Anne… please listen to me-"

"Sod off." She snapped.

"I would never want to hurt you. There's one last thing I can show you all to prove that this baby is an assassin… I did this while trapped in my dream so I would remember when I woke up!" He pulled up his sleeve, showing the words carved into his forearm. Anne froze, furrowing her brows as she instinctively held the child closer to her.

"K- Kakyoin, you…" Polnareff frowned deeply, taking a step closer to Anne.

Joseph was shocked to say the least, remaining silent. "Oh my God…" Joseph muttered. "Kakyoin… did you do this to yourself?"

"Of course I did, in the nightmare, to warm myself once I was back here! To warn all of you!" He exclaimed. "Don't any of you believe me?! I'm your friend, I wouldn't lie to you!"

'Hehe, what a moron… like he would think this wouldn't make them all think he really went nuts!' The baby thought to himself, smirking lightly. Kakyoin saw this, beginning to reach his limit.

"Fine, I'll end this myself, I'll do it before he kills you all! Hierophant Green!" He shouted, the group reeling back in shock as Anne hugged the child to her. "Anne, give me the baby!"

"Noriaki, if you don't recall your stand, I'll have to use drastic measures." Her voice shook a bit.

"Hey, you better watch yourself with your stand poised at her like that!" Polnareff shouted at him.

"Anne… I love you." He said shakily. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or the others. Please, you have to trust me."

"I'm not giving you this baby. If you want him, you'll have to kill me first." Anne said, standing her ground.

"Kakyoin, Anne, both of you, this is insanity, stop this!" Joseph exclaimed. Jotaro was still at a loss for words.

"Fine, I'll have to take him by force then…this is for your own good! Hierophant Green!" He shouted, about to dive forward when he felt something cold at his neck.

"Take one step closer to her and I'll slice." Polnareff narrowed his eyes as his Silver Chariot had the blade of its rapier held to Kakyoin's neck. As he stared back at his friend, Kakyoin began to tremble, sweat rolling down the sides of his face. He clenched his teeth, Hierophant Green shoving Silver Chariot as he ran forward towards Anne. Before he could reach her, however, he felt something hard hit the back of his head, Polnareff clenching his jaw as he knocked Kakyoin out cold. "Anne… are you alright?"

She became overwhelmed with emotion then, beginning to cry as Polnareff held her. "Good God… he's lost his bloody mind…" She wiped her face as he kissed the side of her head.

"Hey, look at me. We'll get through this. We'll get Kakyoin help, and we'll take care of this baby too, okay?" He smiled at her as Joseph went over to kneel by Kakyoin, feeling his forehead.

"This is terrible… we may have to leave him in the next town we reach if he continues to deteriorate like this." Joseph sighed lightly. "This is all becoming too much for him to handle. He is only a young man after all." He looked at the others. "Let's hope he acts more like himself tomorrow… if not, we'll have to go on without him."

"Agreed." Anne said as she sighed.

"Let's all get some sleep. We all need some after this nonsense." Jotaro said.

"I'll keep watch." Anne said as Polnareff kissed her cheek, the group save Anne settling down to sleep. As they did, Anne went over to Kakyoin, gently touching his face.

 _"Noriaki."_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"Is something the matter? You look fatigued."_

 _"... I didn't sleep very well last night. Let's just get through this plane ride and I'll catch up on sleep when we have a chance to rest."_

She sighed shakily. "That's when this all started. You must have heard, you must know about Jean and I… it's driving you mad…" She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head for a moment. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that your heartbreak has driven you to this. Noriaki, you mustn't lose who you are. You have so much life ahead of you. Please… come back to us." She said softly, leaning down to gently kiss his forehead. She didn't see, but the baby rolled his eyes, grimacing at this.

'She really is an oversensitive prude… well, at least I won! With all of them gone, all that will be left is this broad here, but Dio wants her alive anyway! Hehe! Hope she got a good look at them, because it will be the last time she ever sees them alive!'

* * *

Polnareff opened his eyes, groaning as he sat up and rubbed his head. He glanced around, dreading as realization suddenly hit him.

"Jotaro! Mr. Joestar! I remember now, we're in a nightmare world!" Polnareff exclaimed as Joseph sat up.

"Nightmare? Let's just go back to sleep then..." He replied.

"No, you don't understand, Kakyoin is right! That baby, this is his stand, this nightmare world!"

"What the hell...? Where IS Kakyoin?" Jotaro asked, the group looking around before deciding to venture about.

Meanwhile, in the waking world, Anne sighed to herself, feeling guilty. Something broke her thoughts however, looking over and noticing Polnareff wincing a bit in his sleep.

'Damn it, she's going to notice something is up with them.. I can't let her suspect anything!' The baby thought to himself, beginning to whine as he looked towards the remaining baby food.

"Oh... are you still hungry, love? I can't imagine how deprived you must have been." Anne went closer to the fire, taking some of the food and warming it up. She then took up a spoon to feed him. "I've always wondered what it would be like... being an aunt... a mother." She spoke quietly as she fed the baby. "But... after a time I accepted the fact that... neither of those things were meant to be." She frowned lightly. "I only hope you are not robbed of that future either. Poor thing... perhaps when this is all said and done... I can find you again. I could adopt you... neither one of us would be alone anymore." She smiled at this.

The baby grimaced, the only reason why he wasn't more irritated was because he was being fed. 'Jeez, shut up already, lady! I don't care about your stupid sob story! I WANTED to become a vampire. I'm going to be as powerful as Dio someday- no... MORE powerful than Dio. It's all going to start tomorrow morning when you find out that all your friends are lifeless corpses.' The baby giggled, Anne smiling.

"I'm glad you like the sound of that notion. You're going to grow up to be a well-rounded young man. I'll make sure of that." Anne said gently as she hummed a lullaby.

Meanwhile, in the nightmare world, the three crusaders wandered aimlessly through the freakish carnival in search for Kakyoin.

"We have to find Anne too... she's bound to be here somewhere also, right?" Joseph asked.

"Probably not. Vampires don't need sleep, so unless she just decides to, she won't be here. I doubt that will happen because she's keeping watch." Jotaro said.

"Wait a second... she can wake us up!" Polnareff exclaimed. "Anne! Anne, if you can hear me, wake us up!" Polnareff shouted.

"That's going to accomplish nothing, you idiot." Jotaro sighed. "Good grief..."

Just then, Joseph saw something out of the corner of his eyes. He looked over towards something in the distance, seeing a small boy. He furrowed his brows, about to call out to the child when the boy ran off. "Hey, wait! Jotaro, I saw a child there!"

"Wait, Mr. Joestar, don't fall for it, it's a trick!" Polnareff exclaimed as he ran after Joseph. Jotaro sighed, shaking his head as he followed after them.

They reached what looked like a water ride, Joseph looking around. He saw the child now holding the hand of a masked woman, helping him onto the ride.

"Don't go on there, it's dangerous!" Joseph shouted.

'Daddy. Daddy, I'm dying. Please, help me.' He suddenly heard the whisper.

"Holly? Holly, is that you? Tell me where you are! Jotaro, your mother is trapped inside this ride!"

"Old man." Jotaro caught up to them. "This is all a mind game. If we go on there, it may be the end of us."

"Mr. Joestar!"

They all turned towards the ride, the woman and child having disappeared. "Is that Kakyoin? Kakyoin, where are you?!" Polnareff shouted.

"I'm stuck in here, you have to get me out!"

"Alright, we're coming!" Polnareff said when Jotaro grabbed him.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said?" He snapped.

"But that's no illusion, that's Kakyoin! He needs our help!" Polnareff exclaimed, jumping on the ride. Jotaro sighed, following him and his grandfather as they hopped on.

Once the ride began, they were taken up into a dark cavern, dread slowly creeping among the group.

"Lalihooo..."

"Shit, it's that clown, he's in here!" Polnareff exclaimed, the group looking over when a spotlight appeared on the right side. It showed a cheesy, creepy animatronic as unsettling lullaby music sounded.

'Once upon a time, there was a silly little boy and girl. They were told to never talk to strangers, but they didn't listen!'

"Daddy!" A voice was heard, Joseph widening his eyes when he saw Holly being held hostage near the animatronic. The mask she had been wearing was now removed from her face. "Daddy, please, help me!"

"Holly!" Joseph shouted, about to hop out of the boat.

"Wait, Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff pointed to sharp spikes in the water. "If you get out, you'll be killed!"

"That's my daughter!" He shouted.

"Daddy, I don't want to die!" She screamed, the creepy clown slowly appearing behind her with the scythe. He lifted it high into the air, about to bring it down when Kakyoin charged out of the darkness, grabbing onto the weapon as he wrestled to get a hold of it.

"Kakyoin!" Joseph shouted, Holly gasping as she began to disappear.

"You shit face!" The clown screamed. Kakyoin was shoved back, about to fall in the water onto the spikes.

Kakyoin thought this was the end. He closed his eyes, about to accept his fate when he felt himself being grabbed. He looked behind him to see that Jotaro was pulling him into the boat. As he caught his breath, Jotaro gave him a nod.

"Kakyoin, you're alright!" Polnareff beamed.

"So that was really you, huh?" Jotaro said.

"Yes, and that was really your mother. This baby is relentless. We have to stop him at all costs... he's going to do anything to kill us, even threaten to kill our loved ones." Kakyoin said.

Just then, the audio system cracked again as an eerie voice spoke.

'The little girl managed to escape, much to the evil wizard's disappointment. But the little boy wasn't so lucky.'

Another spotlight illuminated, to the left this time. The little boy they saw earlier was now the victim, sobbing with fright.

"Mommy... mommy, where am I...? Grandpa... where are you...?" The boy sobbed, the clown appearing again.

"Wait a second... mommy, grandpa? Now I know who that boy is!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Is he someone close to you, Kakyoin?" Polnareff asked.

"Yes... it's Jotaro!" He exclaimed, everyone looking at him as Jotaro furrowed a brow.

"What? The hell are you talking about?"

"It's a trick, we can't fall for it! Look, he looks just like Jotaro!" Kakyoin said.

Joseph furrowed his brows. Something about this didn't seem right. He did look like Jotaro, but something deep inside told him that this was no trick.

If they did nothing, this boy was going to die.

Kakyoin thought of something then. "Polnareff... you have to wake up."

"What? If we could just wake up, don't you think I would have already?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Anne is out there, and if she sees this... she'll be bound to notice. She can heal you once you're awake. We'll try to handle things here."

"Kakyoin, I- OW!" He exclaimed as Kakyoin took out a switchblade, beginning to carve something into his arm.

"Grandpa, help me keep this thing steady." Jotaro said, but Joseph had other plans. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I've got to help that boy, Jotaro. Something in my heart is telling me that it isn't a trick!" He exclaimed, trying to balance himself. Despite Jotaro's protests, Joseph jumped, hissing as he made it across, but one of the spikes cut his ankle.

Meanwhile, back in the waking world, Anne was humming lightly to the baby when something caught her attention. She glanced over, furrowing a brow.

Had she... caught the scent of blood?

The baby opened his eyes when he felt her stir, gently placing him in the small basket before wandering closer to the group. She followed the scent, finally spotting it. Her eyes widened, darting towards Polnareff when she saw blood on his arm. She paused, slowly turning it more to see words forming. She hissed, reeling back for a moment before panicking. "Jean. Jean, wake up. Jean. Jean!" She shouted.

In the crib, the baby growled lowly. 'Shit! Those bastards are going to blow my cover! I hope this broad is too stupid to figure out what's going on!'

In the dream world, Jotaro had managed to reach a thin metal pole, jamming it into the track to keep the ride from proceeding. "Grandpa, this isn't going to hold on much longer!"

"Go on without me! I have to save this boy!" He exclaimed.

"Mr. Joestar, he isn't real, it's a trick to make him look like Jotaro!"

Joseph didn't believe this. As he was about to snatch the boy up, Death 13 appeared, chuckling lowly.

"Lalihoo!" It cried, swinging its scythe. Joseph fell back, nearly falling into a watery grave.

"Screw this, we have to help him! Polnareff-" Kakyoin gasped then. "Polnareff, you're disappearing! Anne is waking you up!" He exclaimed, the Frenchman looking at his hands as he slowly faded.

"Jean!" Anne cried, shaking him. He finally came to, immediately being embraced by Anne upon doing so. "Jean, what the bloody hell is-..." She looked at his arm, becoming quiet.

"Ugh... Anne? I feel so dizzy... I think I had a nightmare, but I can't remember what it was... Anne? Anne, are you okay?"

"... 'Baby Stand.'" She whispered, looking at his arm. "Now I've been here this whole time... not one of you was roused from sleep." She slowly turned to look over her shoulder to rest her eyes on the basket.

"Anne? What's the matter? How... did this get on my arm...?" Polnareff stared at it, only noticing Anne's deteriorating emotional state when he saw her trembling out of the corner of his eyes. "Anne. Hey, I'm okay, you can just heal whatever this is-"

"I didn't want to believe it." She said barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to believe it was true."

"What are you talking about?" Polnareff asked.

"Don't you see? Noriaki was telling the truth." She slowly held his arm up, her hands shaking. "I can't do it, Jean. I can't... e- end a child's-..." She looked at the rest of the group around her, wincing in their sleep. "But then, they'll die." Flashes of memories from the night her family was killed erupted in her mind. Her breathing began to deepen. "I'll make it quick." She began to mutter. "I'll end his suffering. It can't be his fault. Maybe he doesn't know what he's doing."

"Anne... hey, look at me. You're not acting like yourself." Polnareff turned her face. "What's going on-"

"The baby is doing this. He is the stand user. If we don't end this now, he's going to kill you." She reached into the folds of her cloak, pulling out a knife. When she began to storm over, Polnareff hopped to his feet.

"Anne! ANNE!" He held her back as her eyes became crazed.

"Is this what you wanted, Dio? Did you want me to become a heartless monster, like you?!" She screamed into the night, breaking away from Polnareff as she ran over to snatch the baby, holding him in one arm as she raised the dagger with the other.

"Anne, don't do this! This isn't you!" Polnareff held his hands up as she hissed at him. "Anne. If this baby really is a stand user... we'll figure this out together. Anne. Look at me. You've talked me out of doing some stupid stuff and you've saved my ass a million times over already. I know you don't really want this."

Anne slowly looked at the baby, now wearing a scowl. The memory of seeing her unborn niece splayed out on the cobblestone the night her family was murdered flashed in her mind. As she began to have a breakdown, Polnareff quickly grabbed the baby, Anne falling to her knees as she screamed on the top of her lungs. Polnareff put the baby back in the basket, going over to her as he held her tightly to him.

"H- How c- could something so... small... so... innocent... why...?" She sobbed, Polnareff frowning deeply as he pet her hair.

"I know how much you cared for him. Anne, look at me. We have to save the others from whatever is happening to them. If this baby is using a stand against the others, we have to help them first. We can deal with the baby later." Polnareff said.

As Anne began to regain clarity, she was shocked with how Polnareff was speaking to her. Had he matured this much in such a short amount of time? She nodded slowly as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

Back in the dream world, Joseph grunted as he was shoved back. "Don't you hurt that boy!" He shouted at the clown.

"Kakyoin, get your ass up and help me. He's not going to do this on his own." Jotaro said.

"Just a few more moments…" Kakyoin said, seeming to focus.

"Silly man! Only a stand can defeat another stand. And in my dream world, you can't get to them, so you're all DOOMED! Lalihoo! Aww, your friends aren't lending you a hand, old man?" Death 13 laughed when Joseph's prosthetic hand began to grow to unrealistic proportions. "Holy shit!"

The boy began to cry out then his hair began to grow taller. "Hey, stop! My hair!" He cried.

"How about I lend you a pair of hands!" Kakyoin shouted then, and Death 13 felt himself being choked by Hierophant Green.

"Wait, how- this is impossible!" Death 13 exclaimed.

"I summoned him before we all went to sleep... so he came with me when we arrived here. I would have used him sooner, but then I heard miss Holly and that child here. Now, you have two choices. You can surrender or I will end you, right here and now!"

Death 13 laughed. "Go ahead, Kakyoin. Kill me. Kill the precious little baby that Anne loves so much. She'll hate you forever!"

"You underestimate her. Anne may be loving, and she may be sensitive of certain things because of her past, but she's also a smart woman. You may have her fooled for now, but you won't fool her forever." Kakyoin replied as Hierophant Green began to squeeze Death 13's neck.

"We were wrong, Jotaro. We didn't believe Kakyoin when he was telling the truth and trying to warn us." Joseph said. Kakyoin heard this, glancing over and smiling at them.

"Old man, look at the clouds. They're swirling." He said as they looked up.

Kakyoin narrowed his eyes as wind began to pick up. The swirling clouds began to form a shape, the group gasping when it appeared to look like a large copy of Death 13.

"You think you can defeat me?! You're in my world, and you're going to play my game by MY rules!" He shouted as the cloud form sliced a giant, solidifying scythe. It sliced through the clown stand, Joseph gasping.

"Oh my God! It sliced right through them! Kakyoin!" Joseph exclaimed.

"That's right, suckers! My body doesn't have legs, so I'm unharmed, but the same can't be said for Kakyoin!" Death 13 cackled.

"Not quite! Try this for size!" Kakyoin said as he revealed that Heirophant Green had shrunk, avoiding being sliced as it darted up, diving into Death 13's ear. "Now, unless you want me to tear up your internal organs, you'll let us all free, including the boy!"

"O- Okay, okay!" Death 13 cried. "Damn you shitheads!"

As they all began to fade, Joseph glanced at the boy, smiling lightly. "Goodbye, Jotaro." He said as the boy stared at them.

"But… my name is Jos-…" He faded before he could finish his sentence.

* * *

 **And here we are! Another enemy defeated as the crusaders continue on their journey. What will they encounter next as they make their way to Egypt? Thank you once again for your patience, and I hope the wait was worth it. Stay tuned for more updates, and see you sooner rather than later!**


	21. Big Sleep, Little Desert

**Good evening, everyone! Wow, it has been quite some time since this story was updated. I apologize profusely for that, and I hope that is not a trend that will continue going forward. For now, I hope that those of you who had been following this story are pleased with this update! This chapter involves an OC stand user, so I hope you enjoy the deviation from the canon chain of events!**

* * *

Morning came, Polnareff rubbing Anne's shoulder as they glanced around at their sleeping friends worriedly. When they began to wake, she gasped, going over to them.

"Oh thank heavens, you're alright!" She exclaimed.

"Anne? Why wouldn't we be? Did something happen?" Joseph asked.

"Anne." Kakyoin said lowly, shaking his head. She tilted hers for a moment before Polnareff approached, whispering.

"They don't remember. I didn't either." He said.

"Anne, how is our little guy doing?" Joseph smiled. "I'm sure you watched over him all night. Babies are so cute when they sleep." He chuckled.

"Ah... speaking of babies... Anne, Polnareff, would you care to help me with something?" Kakyoin asked, smirking previously as he eyed the baby.

"Gladly." Anne replied, the three heading over to the basket.

"Good grief... she's supposed to be the motherly one, not you, old man." Jotaro rolled his eyes.

"I was a very good father! Hm... that reminds me... I think I had some sort of dream. I think you were in it, Jotaro. I remember seeing a young boy. He almost looked like you a bit... I'm sure it was you."

"Okay... and?" Jotaro rose a brow.

"Just saying... Jotaro, for what it's worth... if anything good has come from this journey so far... it would be getting to know you." Joseph smiled.

"Alright, enough of the sap." He moved past him. No one saw, but he smiled to himself lightly.

Meanwhile, Polnareff burst into laughter as Kakyoin fed the baby some breakfast, having added a non-fatal, but unpleasant ingredient.

"And when you're done, you're going to get a nice dose of cough syrup. After all, you'll be doing plenty of that once Kakyoin has finished with you here. The thought of being in your position is making me nearly gag myself." She said as she chuckled, glancing over at him.

* * *

Later on, they made their way through the desert. As Joseph went to bring the baby to an orphanage in the town they finally reached, Anne came to stand beside Kakyoin as Jotaro and Polnareff small talked.

"How are you holding up, Anne?" Kakyoin asked.

"I'm well, thank you." She looked at him through her mask. "Noriaki... I'm so sorry I doubted you."

He sighed lightly. "I know why you did, Anne."

"Regardless." Anne moved closer to him. "Noriaki, I already told you I'm not in love with you." She took his hand then. "But I do love you- and would do anything to protect you. With that said, I want no more secrets between us. Deal?"

His smile faded for a moment, drawing her into a hug. "Anne, no matter what happens, we're both going to get through this. I promise." Inside, his heart sunk. There was still a very big secret he was keeping from her, and regardless of what he did, he would betray someone's trust- Anne's, or Jotaro's.

"Alright, it's done." Joseph said, returning to the group. "Anne... I'm proud of how you're taking this. I know it wasn't easy to give him up."

Anne thought to herself for a moment. "Joseph... I can't keep living in the past. I have to focus on what I have now. I may have lost a family, but I have found a new one."

Joseph smiled as the others joined them, Polnareff smiling as he placed an arm around her shoulders. "So, where to now?" He asked.

"We're going to continue to the coast here. Once we reach port, we have to cross the Red Sea... and then, we will reach Egypt." Joseph said. They were all silent for a moment.

"So... this is really it, huh?" Polnareff asked.

"It had to come sooner or later." Jotaro said. "Just be glad that most of us made it there alive. Now come on, we have some catching up to do." He said, the group proceeding as they were ready to move on from this ordeal.

* * *

Hol stretched his arms, working the kinks out of his neck as he stood beside McBrain. She was in much better shape now, many of her injuries either healed or well under control. She donned a pair of expensive sunglasses, raising them a bit when she saw a boat approaching from some distance away. She turned, glancing at Hol Horse as he adjusted his hat.

"So... sure you don't want to come with me, cowboy?" She smirked.

"Nah... I'll meet up with you in a few days. Figure you've got a better chance of charming Dio than me." He shrugged as she giggled.

"Just think... soon, we'll be rolling in a shit ton of money once we get those idiots..." She replied. "What I would love to do to that bitch..." She curled her lip.

"Hey, just keep it cool, will ya?" Hol said. "Keep your cat fights to yourself."

As McBrain rolled her eyes, the boat approached the port, docking as several attendants hopped up to grab her bags to secure. She glanced at Hol, raising a brow. "Last chance."

"You go on ahead, little lady. You can watch me riding in on the Arabian sunset, huh?" He smirked.

She chuckled, leaning up to whisper in his ear. "Won't be as fun as being ridden on, though." As she smirked, Hol's spine stiffened when her hand reached down to grasp a sensitive spot of his, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "Don't keep me waiting too long, cowboy." She then lifted her sunglasses to sit on her hair, pressing a lingering kiss on his lips. As she backed away, she flicked her glasses so they fell back on her face, smirking as she spared him one last smile before turning to board the private boat. As Hol stood, his lips glistening with traces of her lip gloss, he chuckled to himself.

"Damn... she really does know how to rodeo." He said to himself as he watched the boat fade into the distance.

* * *

The Crusaders continued to traverse through the desert after leaving the small town, having had a ways to go before reaching the Red Sea.

"That was the best sleep I had in days." Polnareff smiled lightly.

"Same. It wasn't a five star hotel, but at least I was able to get some quality rest." Kakyoin said.

"How far are we from port, Joseph?" Anne asked.

"About another few miles... we should reach there by mid-afternoon." He replied. "Assuming we have no setbacks."

"What do you mean? What kind of crazy stand user would come at us in the middle of the desert?" Polnareff asked, and everyone looked at him flatly. "Oh, um, right." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, old man. Has there been any word on how mom's doing?" Jotaro asked, to Joseph's surprise.

"I was able to use a telephone this morning... she's about the same." Joseph said, glancing over at his grandson. "I know we've had quite a few obstacles to push past, but we're going to save her, Jotaro. You just have to have faith."

"I was just asking how she was doing. I don't need a pep talk." Jotaro replied, pulling his cap over his eyes.

"Hey, what is that up ahead?" Kakyoin squinted his eyes. "Is that... a car?"

"In the middle of the desert? Oh sacre bleu, don't tell me it's ZZ again!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"If that man had any brains, he wouldn't be trifling with us again... no, this car is different. Look, someone is emerging." Anne said.

"Oh great, this doesn't look good..." Polnareff said, Joseph dismounting his camel as a short, heavyset gentleman in a pinstriped suit emerged from the car. The balding, middle aged man held a cigar between two fat fingers, leaning against his car as he took a drag. Joseph approached him, clearing his throat.

"Excuse me, sir... are you lost?" He asked.

"Not at all, my friend." The man spoke as if he were from the Bronx. "Are you?"

"No... we're trying to get to the port over there, we need to take a boat across the Red Sea." Joseph explained.

"Is that so?" The man asked, taking another puff of his cigar. "Well... that's gonna cost you, pal."

"I'm... already aware that there's a fare. I didn't think I would have to pay here." Joseph rose a brow as the man chuckled.

"I ain't talking about cash. I got enough of that coming to me in due time. More than all of yous combined could pay me." He rose a brow as he smirked. "Catch my drift, old guy?"

Joseph clenched his teeth. "Are you working for Dio?!"

The man took something out of his jacket, holding up a contract. "I run a lot of cookie stands, Mr. Joestar. And you know how you make cookies? With dough. I got a big lump sum coming my way if I make a delivery of my own. I already know you've been down a man for a while."

Joseph hissed out a breath. "What can I do to make you allow us to get through here?" As he asked this, the man chuckled.

"Do you have any idea who I am, pal? I'm from one of the toughest neighborhoods in the world. When you live in the streets in New York, you got to know the art of the deal. You're from New York, ain't ya? See, nowadays, the old gangsters like me are a dyin' breed. These kids nowadays can't even wear their pants right. You know why I'm still in big business? I may be a dinosaur, but I still know how to play the game. Everyone knows me. You want a job done, you give Louie Louie a call. You got an enemy? You pay me the right price, and he becomes Louie Louie's enemy. And I tell ya, my enemies don't last long. You want any one of yous to get past me? I ain't leaving here without your head and your pipsqueak grandson's over there. You want the other three to live? You're gonna have to pull all your strings, buddy."

"What's going on over there?" Kakyoin asked as the group watched from a short distance.

"I don't like this. He motioned to you, Jotaro." Anne noted. "He's got to be a stand user... and perhaps a human ash tray." She curled her lip in disgust.

"Then we should get the hell over there and kick his ass." Jotaro said, but Anne held out a hand.

"Joseph may be able to find out something. We can't interrupt him. Noriaki, your stand is the best with distance. Keep an eye out. If things seem to go sour, prepare yourself."

Joseph narrowed his eyes. "I'll ask again. Are you a stand user?"

"Do you want to find out? I'll give you a choice here. You can surrender without too much struggle. I'll bust a cap in both your crowns. Nice, quick and easy. Your friends here pay up whatever they got, I'll let Dio deal with 'em." Louie Louie said.

"Listen, you can do what you want with me, but you're not going to put a hand on my grandson!" Joseph exclaimed.

"That's where you're wrong, pal. I ain't gonna touch a hair on his pretty little head. You wanna make it in this business, you gotta do it with a bang." He said, holding his two forefingers up in the shape of a gun.

"It's getting tense. I may have to use Hierophant Green soon." Kakyoin said lowly.

Joseph noticed Louie Louie smirk as he reached into his belt to grab what looked like a revolver. "Hermit Purple!" He exclaimed, the vines grabbing the revolver and tossing it into the sand a short distance from them. Louie Louie threw his head back in laughter.

"I got to admit it to you, old man, you've got spunk. I almost feel bad that you're a hit. But when Louie Louie's got something to do, he does it." He reached into his car, putting on a matching hat and took out a cane. "Now, you're probably wondering why a money man like myself has a beat up old car like this clunker here. Allow me to demonstrate." He pressed a switch on his cane, the top pointing open to reveal a small, glowing light inside. Suddenly, the sound of the air being rapidly drawn in was heard, the light growing brighter. Just then, a loud noise like that of an explosion was heard, the force driving everything within radius flying back.

The group gasped when Joseph flew back towards them. "Hierophant Green!" Kakyoin shouted, the emerald colored stand shooting its tail out to grab everyone before the sheer force could send everyone flying. He caught Joseph, who winced from the impact. Not far from them, they could hear Louie Louie laughing when the dust settled.

"Now you've all seen what I've got! Like I said, you old geezer, you wanna make it in this business, you gotta do it with a bang! This cane is my stand, Boss Hoss! Because I'M the boss. You can try to get past me, but you're gonna get blasted if you do! Nothing's more powerful!"

Anne was furious. "It seems to possess some sort of mechanism to take in the air around it and build up energy somehow to cause an implosion. How in the bloody hell are you able to survive the impact, it can't just be the fact that you've clearly eaten far too many sweets for your own good!"

"Hey, hey, hey... this girl's got a tongue that can clip a hedge, huh? But she's got brains too. See this spiffy outfit I'm wearing? It's made of the strongest metal that shields and reflects the impact from this here cane. So, while everyone else goes flying, I stay nice and sharp." Louie Louie took out another cigar, lighting it up. "So. What's it gonna be, gang? My offer still stands for the old man."

* * *

 **Stand User Name: Louie Louie**

 **Stand Name: Boss Hoss**

 **Abilities: In conjunction with a metal suit only Louie Louie can access to protect himself from Boss Hoss' attack, the only attack it has is a large, sonic explosion that shoots out strong waves of energy, blowing opponents and other objects away at high speeds. The stand, a rod/node, remains stationary and cannot actually move at all. It manifests its energy from heat and/or any light source.**

 **Destructive Power: A**

 **Speed: B**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: E**

 **Development: E**

* * *

"We did not come this far just to be ended here!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"Tough luck, kid! You ain't got the manpower to get past this!" He flicked open the cane again, the sound of air being drawn in heard again.

"Perhaps not, but we may have the wits. Joseph, do you have your pocket watch?" Anne asked. "Time how long it takes from when he activates the stand to when it implodes."

Kakyoin summoned Hierophant Green to keep a good hold on everyone, the group bracing themselves as sand and debris came flying towards them. Once the dust settled, Joseph glanced at his pocket watch.

"It had been about five seconds." He answered.

"Five seconds?! The hell are we supposed to do in five seconds?! We can't even get to the guy in that amount of time!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"And even if we were to try and come at him from different directions, it won't make a difference. The sand that was affected covers about the size of a football field!" Joseph added.

"Look, none of us have this kind of range. Trying to get to him in five seconds head on is going to be useless." Jotaro said.

"Anne, do you think you can counter the blast with a sand storm?" Kakyoin asked.

"Perhaps at greater distances, but closer to the impact, you may as well be spitting in the wind." Anne answered. She pursed her lip for a moment. "I'm going to perform an experiment. Wait here."

"Be careful, Anne." Kakyoin said as she moved forward, Louie Louie grinning from a distance when he saw her approach.

"Ah, women. They know how to be pushy." He said as he flicked the remaining butt of his cigar onto the ground.

Anne began to break into a run, able to move faster because she was a vampire. Louie Louie chuckled as he flicked the switch, Anne listening to the air and counting to herself. At the last moment before impact, she dropped to her stomach.

"Sekhmet." The large feline appeared, crouching over Anne and digging her claws into the sand. The feline kept her back flat, having to put up a heavy resistance from where they were to stay anchored.

"Huh, not bad, girlie! But you get much closer than that, you're not gonna stay down!" Louie Louie shouted. "I got to admit, the lot of yous are tougher than I expected."

"Let's test the limit of that theory." Anne said to herself as she began to jog towards him. The switch was activated, and when another blast was emitted, Anne threw herself into the sand, Sekhmet being pushed back a bit by the force, her claws dragging in the sand.

"What is she doing?" Polnareff furrowed a brow.

"She's trying to come up with a plan." Joseph answered. Kakyoin and Jotaro watched carefully.

"Anne is a smart woman. She'll come up with something." Kakyoin said.

To Louie Louie's surprise, Anne began to run all the way back to the group. "Jotaro." She turned to him. "Let me speak with you to the side for a moment." She said, the younger Joestar raising a brow before they spoke.

"Do you think Star Platinum can do the job?" Polnareff asked.

"I don't know... he's powerful, but I don't know if he can withstand the blast at close range." Kakyoin said.

"We've dealt with some powerful enemies. I'm sure they're coming up with a solid plan." Joseph said as the pair headed back.

"Here's the plan. Jotaro is going to remain behind. We're all going to do as I was. If we can get close enough to use our stands, Jotaro will come in for the kill." Anne said.

The others blinked, looking at each other. "Why not have Kakyoin come in for the kill instead, his range is better than Jotaro's." Joseph asked.

"Because you have to trust me." Anne said, looking at him through her mask. "Keep his eyes on us. Make him forget that Jotaro is here. Think of this as a more dangerous game of red light, green light."

Kakyoin was not sure of this plan. Anne clearly saw that the closer they became to a blast, the more futile it became. However, he knew that Anne was no fool. If this is what she felt was best, he knew there was a good reason.

"Alright, let's do it." Polnareff said. The four began to head towards Louie Louie, making the gangster laugh.

"This is gonna be fun." He said to himself as Anne glanced back at Jotaro, the two exchanging a nod as he remained behind. Louie Louie activated Boss Hoss, Anne counting in her head upon hearing the air hissing.

"Now." She said, the four getting to the ground and using their stands to hold them down. Joseph used his Hermit Purple to burrow the thorns in the sand to help anchor him down. Hierophant Green kept its tail wrapped around Kakyoin to keep him in place, and Silver Chariot tried to anchor itself and Polnareff by sticking its rapier into the sand, its metal armor beneficial for added weight. Once the dust settled, they continued to move forward. "Remember, the closer we become, the faster we have to duck." Anne reminded them.

Kakyoin glanced behind him, furrowing a brow. Jotaro seemed to be farther away than he should have. Was he just seeing things? "Anne-"

"Noriaki. Eyes forward. Do not look behind you." Anne said without even looking in his direction. Louie Louie flicked the switch, Anne counting to herself. "Down!" She shouted, everyone throwing themselves to the ground. Joseph clenched his teeth, having some trouble staying anchored.

"About how far are we from this guy?!" Polnareff asked. "It's not like a rapier's going to do much to keep us down at this rate!"

"Same with my thorns. Anne, I don't think this is possible-"

"I'm telling you both to trust me. We have to keep moving forward. Keep his eyes on us." Anne said. Kakyoin glanced behind him briefly. Jotaro was now nearly twice as far away.

What was going on here?

"We're probably about fifty yards now." Joseph said.

"Everyone to their feet, quickly!" Anne shouted, helping Joseph to his as they kept moving forward. They noticed she began to head towards Louie Louie quicker than them, leading the pack. A few seconds later, another blast was emitted. "Down!" She shouted, more wind and debris coming at them. Joseph took a moment too long however, not burrowing his thorns deep enough into the sand. He grunted as he was blown back several yards, using his thorns to make some friction in the sand.

"Mr. Joestar!" Kakyoin cried, looking over his shoulder as the dust settled. That's when he noticed it.

He could no longer see Jotaro.

"Keep moving!" Anne shouted from where she was.

"Boy oh boy, you lot is persistent!" He laughed. "I may have to use some gun power here after all... I'm impressed." He adjusted his fedora. "I guarantee you won't get past here. Ah... I can smell that cash. Dio's gonna pay me big, then I'm gonna open up the biggest casino in New York- no, the WORLD! That's right, I'll be bigger than Dio!"

Anne hissed, dashing forward. "Anne!" Kakyoin shouted.

"Anne, get down, it's going to go off!" Polnareff cried. When she wasn't ducking down, he clenched his teeth, trying to run towards her. Sekhmet leapt forward, mere feet from clawing at Louie Louie.

Then, a blast.

"ANNE!" Polnareff shouted. Kakyoin hissed as he had Hierophant Green uncoil his tail, shooting it out to grab a now unconscious Anne before she could be blasted even further. Polnareff ran over as Louie Louie smirked, readjusting her mask before her face burned up. "Anne, wake up!"

"She's knocked out cold..." Kakyoin frowned, Joseph catching up to them.

"She was too rash... give her to me, I'll bring her back to safety." Joseph said.

"Alright, enough playing games!" Louie Louie shouted. "This is it! You're all gonna be sleeping with the fishes!" He said, activating Boss Hoss.

"Shit, we're too close!" Polnareff exclaimed. "There's not enough time to run back that far!"

"Try to hold on to something!" Joseph exclaimed, all of them bracing for impact when suddenly, the unexpected happened. They all gasped as Louie Louie cried out, being launched into the air.

"ORA!" Star Platinum cried as he popped out of the sand from where Louie Louie was standing. The burst erupted above the group when it went off, leaving the ground unaffected. Anne jumped to her feet then, Kakyoin looking on in surprise when he realized she was faking being knocked out. Louie Louie was caught by Star Platinum, who held him dangling by his collar as she stormed up to him, snatching the cane and inspecting it.

"Hm, this is quite fancy. Intricately designed. No one doing a deal with you would expect such destruction from it." Anne said as Louie Louie struggled.

"This is impossible! Where in the hell did this joker come from?!" He shouted as Kakyoin helped Jotaro dig himself out of the sand.

"This was all Anne's idea, actually. While the four of you were keeping his attention, I had Star Platinum punch his way deep enough into the sand to avoid the blasts. We kept tabs on him from the sound waves it made against the ground, so we were able to make our way to him easily." Jotaro said as he took off his hat, dusting some sand off of it.

"Now. This battle is clearly over. You're going to answer some questions, or YOU will be sleeping with the fishes tonight, asshole!" Polnareff shouted.

"Alright, alright! You're probably asking for some dirt on Dio, and I'm telling ya, I got nothing!" He held his hands up defensively.

"Well then. If that's how you're going to play, I could use a snack. It's late afternoon, I could save you for when it's dark and have myself quite a feast." She leaned forward then. "And I promise you, I won't spare a drop."

"I wouldn't rub her the wrong way, punk. Start talking." Jotaro said.

"You must tell us about Dio's stand. What can it do and how can we defeat it?" Joseph asked.

"Even if I told you, you ain't gonna take Dio down." Louie Louie said.

"Just like we weren't going to get past YOU either, right?" Kakyoin rose a brow.

"I'm serious! It's a good thing you've got a braniac and a fast talking 'gal here, because you're gonna need it! I wouldn't even mess with the guy! It doesn't matter how powerful you are, it ain't gonna make a difference." Louie Louie said.

"How do you mean?" Anne asked. "Does his stand emulate one of the tarot arcana?"

"Oh, those card things? It sure does, girlie. What's the thing that Dio wants the most?"

"Power." Joseph said.

"No. He wants to make everyone suffer." Anne said.

"Yeah, but he wants something more than that. He don't want just Egypt, or Europe, or even a whole damn continent, this guy wants-"

"- the World." Joseph breathed. "One of the most powerful cards in the deck."

"What does that mean, Mr. Joestar? How do we defeat him?" Kakyoin asked.

"Don't ask him, ask this clown." Jotaro said.

"I'm telling ya, you can't beat him!" Louie Louie exclaimed.

"And why not? By the way, does he have any more subordinates for us to kill before we reach him?" Anne asked.

"He's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve alright... your stand, it's some Egyptian thing, ain't it?"

"What about it?" Anne asked.

"You think there ain't more like them out there waiting for you? And even if you get all of his people, you will never bring this guy down." Louie Louie warned.

"What makes you so sure?" Joseph asked.

"I can't tell you that." Louie Louie said a bit lower, and Joseph grabbed him by his collar, clenching his teeth as he opened the palm of his other hand so that Hermit Purple began to snake out.

"Look, I have a daughter back in Japan who is getting weaker by the second! Her life as well as my grandson's depends on us destroying Dio once and for all to put a stop to his tyranny on my family! We've all suffered since he came into my grandfather's life and it's going to end now! You either tell me how to save my daughter or I will destroy you instead!" Joseph shouted, Anne glancing at him as she could sense how desperate he was becoming.

"If I tell you what you want to know, I'll be a dead man." Louie Louie said as he began to sweat.

"You're going to be a dead man if you don't." Jotaro narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, fine! It doesn't matter how big and powerful you are, or even how smart. It ain't about that with him. It's about being fast, and you'll never be fast enough because-"

They all gasped when gunfire suddenly sounded, and Jotaro felt himself being shoved to the ground. Everyone ducked down, checking their surroundings when the gunfire ceased.

"What the hell was that?" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Is everyone alright? Mr. Joestar?" Kakyoin asked, helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine… Jotaro?" Joseph asked.

"I'm alright, but he isn't." Jotaro replied, the others looking at Louie Louie.

He had a bullet wound that went straight through his forehead.

"Oh, shit!" Joseph swore loudly. "He was telling us about Dio!"

"That's probably why he was killed off. Someone else is around, keep vigilant!" Anne exclaimed.

For a few moments, all five pairs of eyes scanned the area for any sign of movement. Just then, Jotaro spotted something small moving in the sand. "There!"

"Silver Chariot!" Polnareff shouted, the knight stand trying to pursue it. It was too fast, however, burrowing into the sand. "Damn it! It got away!"

"Did you see what it looked like, Polnareff?" Joseph asked.

"It was wearing some sort of mask… couldn't get a good look at it." He replied.

"Well, if it's a stand, we'll be seeing it again soon enough." Kakyoin said.

Anne sighed, crouching down to take a closer look at Louie Louie. "Shame we didn't find out more… well, at least he'll be a nice snack to hold me over. Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen." Anne said as she lifted up her mask enough to be able to feed.

"Tch. Waste not want not." Jotaro smirked.

"He did tell us one thing. His stand will prove to be a formidable enemy. It will be our most difficult battle." Joseph said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Pfft, are you kidding? It's five against one! He'll be running with his tail between his legs!" Polnareff laughed.

Kakyoin glanced at Jotaro uneasily as he and Joseph exchanged a look of knowing. Anne soon finished feeding, dabbing her mouth. "Well then, are we ready to proceed, gentlemen?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Alright! That was some very nice teamwork, and unfortunately, they missed out on another opportunity to find out more about Dio's stand. Nevertheless, they were able to get out of another sticky situation, and are ready to continue on their journey! Thank you to those who have read after such a long hiatus, and hopefully I will be updating this again sooner rather than later. Until then, please let me know what you thought of Louie Louie and Boss Hoss in a review! Thank you again, and see you next time!**


	22. A Lapse In Judgement: Part One

**Good afternoon, everyone! I have returned with a new update, so I hope you are looking forward to continuing this exciting journey! Last time we left off, our heroes were about to embark upon the Red Sea. So, without further ado, please read and enjoy!**

* * *

Joseph led the way, the group reaching the docks and boarding their boat. Evening began to fall as they embarked across the Red Sea. Polnareff went to lie down, Anne glancing over at Kakyoin looking out over the edge of the boat railing. She pursed her lip thoughtfully for a moment before wandering over to him. "Lovely evening." She said, smiling lightly.

"Yes… I wish I had my paint supplies with me. This sunset is incredible." He replied.

"Indeed… I have seen many, but they still take my breath away at times." She looked over at him. "You've been very quiet this evening."

Kakyoin returned her gaze, but did not maintain it for long as he looked down. "It's just been a rough run. I was… thinking. About what lies ahead."

Anne surprised him when she placed an arm around his shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. "The sun may be setting now, but it simply means a sunrise is to follow. As long as we work together and stay true, we will make it out of this. Go rest."

Kakyoin's smile returned, nodding. "Goodnight, Anne."

As he went to head into the small cabin on the boat, Joseph approached Anne.

"We're going to make a stop for the night." He said. At this, Kakyoin stopped, furrowing his brows.

Anne rose a brow. "A stop? For what reason? Surely we can rest and recover better once we reach Egypt."

"It's a bit of a detour, but there is someone we need to see. They live on a remote island not too far off." Joseph said.

Anne became wary. "Not to question your decisions, Joseph… but do you think we can afford any further delays?"

"Don't worry. I will explain more when we reach the island. I appreciate you looking out for us, Anne. I wouldn't do this unless it was absolutely necessary." Joseph said.

"Very well." Anne nodded. "You already know I trust your judgement." She said before Joseph headed back to help Jotaro navigate. A short time later, Polnareff felt a light shaking. "Jean. Jean, wake up." Anne said.

The Frenchman slowly rose, running a hand through his upright hair. "Anne…? Are we there already? Why… is it dark out?"

"We are not in Egypt. Joseph is taking a detour. There is someone he wants to see. It's apparently urgent we do. He won't say anything more until we all meet on this island." She replied. "I have an uneasy feeling…" She said as Polnareff got to his feet, the pair heading off the boat.

"Come on, Anne, this is Mr. Joestar we're talking about! He'd never do anything to put us in danger. Well, besides bring us on this suicide mission, I guess." He said, Anne smirking lightly.

"I suppose you're right." She said as they approached the rest of the group.

"What's going on? Why did you bring us here?" Polnareff asked.

"I'm sorry to cause alarm... but there is a man who lives here, he is very important to our trip. It's a good thing he lives on such a remote island, or he would have been put at greater risk because of us. He lives in a small house he built himself. I will lead the way, but once we reach there, Jotaro and I will be speaking to him. Kakyoin, Polnareff, and Anne, I'd like for you to wait outside.

Anne narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Is this man dangerous?"

"He will not harm us." Joseph replied before turning to head through the foliage.

As they went along, Kakyoin felt Anne tug on his arm lightly. "I don't like this. I can't help but have a bad feeling."

Kakyoin couldn't help but bite his lip. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine, I'm sure of it."

"I'm glad one of us is an optimist..." Anne muttered.

"Kakyoin. Keep up." Jotaro said, glancing over his shoulder at the redhead briefly.

Just then, there was a sudden rustling in the bushes, followed by quick footsteps moving away.

"We aren't alone." Anne hissed.

"Just calm down, we're nearly there." Joseph said, approaching a small house. The group noticed a hooded figure feeding chickens, speaking to them. There was a light breeze, Anne furrowing a brow.

"That man has a familiar scent." She said more to herself than anyone else.

Joseph cleared his throat, afraid that Anne would sniff out the man's identity before they were ready.

"Hey, that man, I feel like I know him from somewhere!" Polnareff exclaimed, taking a step closer. When he caught a glimpse of his face, he gasped. "M- Mr. Avdol?! How is this-"

Jotaro clamped a hand over his mouth, shaking his head. "Polnareff. This is Avdol's father. This is why it was too dangerous to speak of him before now, there was risk Dio would catch wind of him here. He still doesn't know about his son's death. It will be hard to deliver the news, but Jotaro and I will speak to him ourselves." Joseph was about to head inside with his grandson when he noticed Polnareff's expression, sighing lightly. "Polnareff... please don't blame yourself for what happened. He knew the risks as did the rest of us."

"... No. His death was my responsibility." He replied. Anne stared at the ground, having quieted. Kakyoin couldn't bear to look at her. She only looked up when Polnareff began to wander.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I... need to be alone right now." He replied.

"Jean... this is difficult for all of us. I still hold much guilt myself over Mr. Avdol. I don't want you wandering off on a strange island by yourself." She said.

"Don't worry. I just need some time to myself. I need to think." He said, lightly kissing her cheek before heading off. She sighed, seating herself on a log.

"It is never a good thing when he actually focuses on thinking." She placed her face on her hands, rubbing her forehead as Kakyoin felt as if there was a huge pit in his stomach. He watched the Joestars head in with the island native, shutting his eyes tightly.

Polnareff sat by the shore, looking out into the night as he rested his chin in his hand. "I was just trying to avenge my sister... I wanted so badly to get back at her killer that I sacrificed Avdol's life while doing that." He said to himself, sighing. "And here I am moping around instead of owning up to his father myself. I should go back there and just... be a man about it." He said, about to head back when something glimmered in the moonlight. He tilted his head, going over to see a shiny object in the sand. He picked it up, dusting it off. "Huh... I wonder if this is some sunken treasure that washed up here. The face on it is kind of scary. I wonder if it's worth money... I should clean this moss off of it." As he brushed off the additional filth from it, his eyes widened when it began to glow brightly.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin frowned as Anne began to pace about. He glanced towards the house for a moment before approaching her.

"He'll be alright." He tried to reassure her. "He just needs some time."

"Noriaki, at some point he's going to have to face that man. Do you have any idea how difficult it will be for him? He is not the only one who feels regret."

"Anne... you did nothing wrong." Kakyoin frowned.

"You're quite right about that, I did nothing. Another life was lost because I failed to save them in time. It adds to my ever growing list." She said as she looked up at the sky. "In the beginning I was comforted by the notion that my family, everyone I had lost, was watching over me. But the idea has become bitter to me... as if the stars mock me each night."

Kakyoin's insides were twisting up. He couldn't take it anymore. "Anne... there's something I... I have to tell you."

"What is it?" She stopped her pacing, giving him her full attention.

"That man in there... he isn't-"

"Kakyoin." Jotaro suddenly emerged from the house. "We need you."

The redhead sighed lightly, shutting his eyes. "Go. I'll stay out here and wait for Jean to return." Anne motioned toward the hut.

Kakyoin nodded, regretfully leaving Anne as he followed Jotaro inside. "Hello, Mr. Avdol."

"It's good to see you, Kakyoin. I'm glad you are well." The man smiled as Kakyoin sat with them.

Meanwhile, Polnareff blinked at the large, odd looking creature before him that claimed to be a genie. It certainly looked like no genie, and was baffled that it had come out of the small trinket he found. "Alright, alright. So let me get this straight. Your name is Cameo, you have been living in this... whatever this is, and you will grant me any three things I want?"

"Is answering this question your first wish?" Cameo asked.

"Listen pal, you could be a stand! How can I believe you?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Make your first wish. I will grant you anything you ask for." Cameo replied.

"Fine! Prove that you aren't screwing with me by... making me rich!" Polnareff said.

"Is this your first wish?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's my first wish!" Polnareff waved his hand.

"Very well- Hail 2 U!" Cameo exclaimed.

A moment later, he heard something. "Huh? What was that? It sounded like metal..." He turned, Cameo watching silently as he peeked behind some bushes. When there was a light glow, Polnareff widened his eyes. "No way...!"

"What is your second wish?" Cameo asked as Polnareff rummaged through the treasure in complete shock.

"This... this is real... this is real gold! Wait a minute... hey! Why are you doing this, what's the catch?" Polnareff shouted.

"I gave you what you asked. My gratitude for freeing me is to grant you three wishes of anything you desire." Cameo replied.

"But this... this can't be... wait. So I can wish for anything? Anything at all?" Polnareff asked hopefully.

"Is the answer to this question your second wish?" Cameo asked.

"No, no, alright, I get your point... so I could wish for anything... oh, I could ask for a girlfriend! Oh, wait, I already have- please don't tell Anne I said that. She would bleed me dry for sure."

"Is this your second wish?"

"No, hang on, let me think! Uh... ooh, I could be a cartoonist! I could be more famous than Disney! I could have my own theme park, Polnareff land! Oh, my Sherry used to love when I would doodle with her-" He stopped then, his smile fading.

"Is becoming a famous cartoonist your second wish?"

Polnareff was silent for a moment. "I need to know one thing... and then I will make my second wish." He said lowly after some time. "Can you... bring the dead back to life?"

"... Is this your second wish?" Cameo asked, Polnereff slowly looking up at him.

Back at the house, Avdol nodded. "So... it seems that Ms. Lennox has proven to be quite useful."

"She's not just some tool." Kakyoin said then, making Avdol look over at him in surprise. "We've all become something like a family. I don't like that we're keeping all of this a secret from her. She would never betray our trust."

"I know this Kakyoin, but I felt the less people who knew, the better." Joseph said.

"Then why tell me?" Kakyoin asked.

"Because... I wanted to plan for the worst case scenario- that being if Dio or his assassins managed to kill both Jotaro and myself before we reached the Red Sea. We still had a long journey between India and now. You've seen how many scrapes we narrowly survived."

"Because of Anne." Kakyoin said to him. "We survived them because of Anne. She's saved us many times over and nearly lost her own life for it."

"She also lets her emotions get to her at times. It gets the better of her judgement." Jotaro said. "I'm not downplaying Anne in the slightest. But-"

"You seriously think she's going to accept that as an excuse when she finds out the truth?" Kakyoin asked. "Maybe if you went through some of the things she did you would think differently!"

"Both of you, enough of this bickering." Joseph sighed. "I will speak to Anne if she becomes upset. We have more important tasks to focus on now. We have to make sure Avdol is updated on who had been eliminated before we move forward."

Meanwhile, Polnareff nodded. "Y- Yes... that is my second wish! And my friend, Muhammad Avdol!"

"You have made two wishes. I will grant them in order. The first of the two was to revive your sister, Sherry. I shall grant your wish now. Hail 2 U!"

Polnareff was about to say something when he heard a soft rustling in the brush some distance behind him. A soft breeze made the foliage sway as he squinted his eyes in the darkness. "... Sherry? Sherry, are you there?" He heard more rustling, moving toward the sound. "You better not be fucking with me, Cameo! Where is my-" He stopped when he heard quiet sobbing coming from the high grass. "... Sherry? Sherry, where are you?!" Polnareff shouted, moving further into the high grass.

Anne huffed lightly, looking up at the moon and looking around for any sign of Polnareff. She finally stood up, glancing toward the house for a moment before beginning to head in the direction Polnareff had went. Once she was out of earshot, she called for him. "Jean? You've had quite enough time to yourself, you're making me begin to fret. Jean, I know you hear me speaking to you. I would appreciate an answer!" She sighed, continuing to try and track him.

In the meantime, Polnareff gasped when he came across an indent in the ground, the shape being that of a body. "It's as if someone had been laying here... and there are footsteps..." He said as he heard the crying more clearly now, following it. He stopped when he noticed someone just ahead, kneeling on the ground.

"My body... it's not... complete..." A female voice whispered as she cried. "Don't... come closer..." Polnareff exhaled shakily as tears brimmed his eyes.

"That voice... it can't be... Sh- Sherry?" His voice cracked.

As this was happening, Anne stopped, closing her eyes as a breeze flowed towards her, inhaling. She caught a familiar scent, opening her eyes and moving forward into the high reeds. "Jean, for goodness sake, can you at least let me know that you're alive out here?!" Just then, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"What is your wish?"

Anne whirled around, looking up to see the mechanical-looking creature sitting in a tree above her. She immediately summoned Sekhment. "What the bloody hell are you?! What have you done to Jean?!"

"I have done him no harm. I only seek to grant any three wishes you ask of me." Cameo said.

Anne stared at him flatly. "Jean believed your foolishness, didn't he? Tell me where he is and I may consider sparing your life."

"Is that your first wish?"

"I don't have time for this. If you aren't going to tell me where he is, I will find him myself. I'll deal with you soon enough." Anne said as she headed off.

"Is your first wish to be with Jean?" Cameo asked as Anne seethed angrily.

"Very well, if that satisfies you! But I swear that if you harmed one hair in his head I will come back and tear you apart! Jean, where the bloody hell are you?!" Anne shouted.

"... Your first wish is granted. Hail 2 U!"

As Anne began to head deeper into the high grass, Polnareff bit his lip when he heard Sherry begin to run further away. "Sherry, wait!" Polnareff exclaimed, pursuing her. He stopped, a small clearing revealing two dead birds. "Huh...? It looks like they were torn apart..." He frowned. "Sherry! Please, stop running, let me see you!"

"I'm filthy... my hair is unkempt..." She whimpered as she cried.

"Sherry..." He chuckled through his tears. "I don't care about that. Please... don't cry. It's Jean... your brother... Sherry, I can't believe it's really you."

"Please, don't come any closer! You'll hate me!" She cried.

"I could never hate you. Sherry, I went across the world to avenge you. I found the bastard who killed you, and I killed him myself. I would do anything for you!" Polnareff said.

"Remember... when we were young? I fed your pet fish to that stray cat I liked. You told me you hated me then."

His expression softened. "Sherry... we were kids. You know that I love you no matter what."

"Are you sure? You'll love me always?" Sherry said, looking over her shoulder.

"Of course... Sherry, you don't have to be sad anymore. Come back with me. You can meet everyone... the Joestars, Kakyoin, and Anne... Sherry, you're going to love her. We can be a family." Polnareff said.

"Oh, Jean... I'm not crying because I am sad... I am happy. Do you want to know why?" Sherry asked lowly.

"Because we have our whole lives ahead of us!" Polnareff smiled, moving past the reeds into the clearing. He stopped when he saw she was naked, blinking. "Er... here. Take my hand. We'll find you some clothes."

"But I don't need clothes, brother." She said, standing up and moving into the moonlight. Polnareff gasped then as she moved towards him, seeing that half of her face appeared grotesque, the skin missing and revealing the muscle and deep tissue beneath. "I need nourishment." She hissed then, pouncing on Polnareff as she bit into his shoulder, trying to feed from him. Taken completely off guard, Polnareff was horrified. He could not speak, trying to wrestle Sherry off of him.

In the distance, Anne gasped as she heard Polnareff screaming in the distance. "Jean?! Jean, where are you?! Jean!" She ran through the high grass in a panic. "Jean, answer me this instant!"

"Anne?"

The woman stopped dead in her tracks, the breath squeezed out of her lungs.

She had to have mistaken what she just heard.

"Anne... is it really you?" The voice called again, closer this time as a figure emerged to stand a few feet behind her.

Anne slowly turned, breathing shakily as her brows twisted. The figure came into the moonlight, smiling gently. "No... th- this is a trick-"

"Anne, it's me. Your Jean. Mon ange... I have found you. I promised we would find each other again. Shh... you are in shock. I will tell you everything. Mon amour... we have all the time in the world for that. Let me look at your beautiful face." He took another step closer. "Speak, ma cherie. Let me hear your beautiful voice."

"J- Jean... how... what are you..." Anne shook her head. "This... can't be real..."

"Look at me. Am I as you remembered? Take my hands. Ah... yours are still soft, like silk. Mon amour... you have endured so much pain. Let's run away from this world. Let me take this life from you."

Anne was about to say something, but she heard Polnareff crying out in the distance. "Jean... I- I haven't a clue how this could be possible, but... things have changed... there is someone who needs my help. There are things I need to do. Promises I must keep."

"My love, you no longer have any obligations. There is only you and I. Death can no longer keep us apart now. Come, let us go to France. We can live our dream. A charming cottage in the countryside. A simple, peaceful, happy life. A life full of love." Jean smiled, taking a step closer. "Please, my darling. Let me steal away your pain."

Anne furrowed her brows deeply, looking over her shoulder towards Polnareff's desperate cries. She glanced for a moment at Jean. "I'm sorry-" She breathed, about to move away from him when Jean grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him to kiss her. When he broke it, he caressed her face lovingly.

"I would not be surprised if you found another man. Even a single glance from you, a word, could bewitch any man. I wanted to savor one kiss from you, my love."

Anne bit her lip, her brows twisting. She took Jean's shoulders, kissing him with need. As they kissed deeply, Jean's eyes opened slightly, his pupils dilating.

Polnareff scrambled to move away, gasping for air as he held his bleeding neck. He heard Sherry moving through the high grass, speaking softly.

"I'm sorry, Jean... I'm so sorry I had to do this... but my body is incomplete. I need nourishment. I need flesh. You said you would love me no matter what, Jean. Will you help me complete my body?" She asked as she searched for him.

Polnareff continued to move away, growling lowly before shouting. "CAMEO! You bastard!" The creature then appeared in a tree branch hovering over the high grass.

"Is this not what you wanted, Polnareff? This is my ability, to grant wishes. I use the Earth to do so. A terrible fate, is it not? To be eaten alive by the one person on this planet that you loved. Oh, wait... you love someone else... not like a sister, but she is your lover." Cameo said. "Or... she WAS."

"What are you-" Polnareff froze then, a chill going up his spine. "Are you talking about Anne?! You son of a bitch, what did you do to her?!"

"I did nothing... but she has forgotten you. She has left you out here to die, Polnareff." Cameo said, a breeze making the grass sway so Polnareff was able to see past it. His eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of Anne kissing Jean, the man wearing tattered hospital clothing. Polnareff gasped when he realized what was going on.

"Anne-!" He choked. "That's not him, you have to get away- ahh!" He cried as Sherry found him, seizing him and dragging him further into the grass.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin sighed as Joseph, Avdol and Jotaro continued to speak among themselves. His eyes wandered to the window, furrowing a brow after a few moments. "Hey... I don't see Anne out there anymore."

"She probably went to get Polnareff. Let them be." Joseph said.

"Mr. Joestar, I can't help but have a bad feeling. I don't like leaving them out there by themselves." Kakyoin said.

"Look, they're not five. They don't need a babysitter. Avdol has a lot of catching up to do before we leave. Just let us get him up to speed." Jotaro said.

"Are you sure of what he said? The mobster?" Avdol said.

"Yes. When Anne interrogated him, we were able to deduce that his stand represents the World." Joseph replied.

"That is a very powerful card. For someone as dangerous and immoral as Dio have possession of such power... it makes the outlook of our journey very grim. Were you able to find out any specific details of the stand? Any weaknesses?" Avdol asked.

"No. He was killed before we could get anything else out of him." Joseph sighed.

"Hm..." Avdol sighed lightly. "I can make readings and determinations of a stand based on powers and abilities... but not the other way around."

Cameo chuckled as Polnareff struggled. "Aren't you forgetting your third wish, Polnareff? Hail 2 U!"

Just then, Sherry was joined by a false Avdol, his face malformed in some parts like hers. He walked through the high grass, looking upon him sinisterly.

"Cameo, just put them back in the ground, bring them back to the Earth!" Polnareff shouted.

"No can do. You have already used all three of your wishes!" Cameo exclaimed.

"This is it... I'm bleeding, Silver Chariot will be too weak to fight at this rate... I'm done for..." He said to himself.

It was then that he heard a scream.

"Hm... seems you won't be the only one who dies here." Cameo said.

"Anne!" Polnareff cried hoarsely, mustering what strength he had to try and move towards the sound of her cries. He saw Jean had her pinned to the ground, fangs sunk into her shoulder in a vice like grip. Time seemed to slow down as she could only glance over at him weakly, mouthing an apology to him. She could hear the material of her clothing begin to tear as Jean began to practically claw them away from her. She could hear Polnareff crying out to her, but it became muffled as she fell into a numb state. "GET OFF OF HER, YOU BASTARD!" He shouted, mustering Silver Chariot. "I don't care if I die, you're not going to do another thing to her!"

Anne felt a sharp gust of air as Silver Chariot sped to her, knocking Jean off of her and flipping him in the air. He hopped up, his rapier moving faster than the eye could see before landing. Jean landed on his feet, turning to confront the knight stand. After a few moments however, he furrowed a brow, Silver Chariot flicking over the rapier to splatter fresh blood onto the high grass. As a gentle breeze flowed past, Jean began to fall apart, all his limbs having been severed as he crumbled to dust. Anne exhaled sharply, coming out of her numb state as she realized what she just saw. She gasped, gathering herself and hurrying over to a nearly unconscious Polnareff.

"Jean?! Oh God- Sekhmet, Asp of Mercy!" She shouted, trying to heal his wounds. She did not get very far, the false Avdol pouncing to attack. Sherry followed behind, each dragging their victims away from one another.

* * *

 **Well, we are leaving on quite an intense note- many of you probably had some idea that Polnareff would fall victim to Cameo's tricks, but it seems Anne has fallen victim as well. Will they both make it off this island, or will they perish? Keep an eye out for the next part coming up! In the meantime, let me know what you think in a review! Thank you for reading, and I'll see you again soon with a new update!**


	23. A Lapse In Judgement: Part Two

**Good evening, readers! I have returned with a new chapter! Are you ready for the conclusion to this dramatic showdown? Prepare yourself for what's to come, and don't forget to enjoy!**

* * *

Back at the house, Joseph sighed. "We should get going. We need to make Anne and Polnareff aware of what's going on before we go into the submarine."

"Mr. Joestar, I still don't see either one of them out there." Kakyoin said with concern.

Jotaro was about to snap at the red head when a breeze came through the window, Avdol holding up a hand. "I will go to them. Stay here." He said, rising to head out of the house. As he did, he narrowed his eyes, sensing something was terribly amiss.

"Sherry, please, stop this!" Polnareff shouted, having managed to regain some strength thanks to Anne.

"You can cry all you want, Polnareff! No one will hear you all the way out here!" Cameo exclaimed.

As he tried to prevent his sister from eating him alive, his heart sunk when he saw someone approaching. "It's the Avdol clone... why is he coming back after me...? No... no! Please tell me you didn't kill Anne! No!" Polnareff gasped when suddenly, he saw the clone of Avdol grab his sister, flinging her off of him. He furrowed his brows in confusion when he realized he wasn't being attacked. "Could you be... a second clone? Anne! Go save Anne!" He shouted. He saw the second Avdol look behind him, Polnareff weakly getting to his feet as he watched him run.

Avdol narrowed his eyes, hearing the sound of struggling. He came upon the clone of himself attacking Anne, clenching his teeth as he snuck up from behind. "Magician's Red!" He cried, hoisting the Avdol clone into the air and destroying him in a single blow. Polnareff watched with shock as this happened, the clone crumbling into dirt. Avdol then gathered Anne into his arms, beginning to carry her towards Polnareff.

"No... it couldn't be... I must be dreaming-"

"Impossible! J. Geil killed you! A- And Hol Horse! You are supposed to be dead!" Cameo exclaimed suddenly, and a smile grew on Polnareff's face.

"It is... Avdol is alive! Avdol is alive!" He exclaimed with joyous disbelief.

"Yes I am!" Avdol smirked. "Do you want to know how I lived? The bullet that hit me was not fatal; it only grazed my forehead. So, between then and now, I have been recovering." He then turned, nodding to Polnareff, who could only stare in shock. "I will take care of Cameo." He went over, placing Anne in his arms.

Polnareff looked on for a moment, only being snapped out of his disbelief when he heard rustling behind him. "Brother... we aren't finished yet..." She said as she slowly approached.

"You're right." He said softly. He glanced at Anne for a moment, gently placing her down. "I may never see you again, Sherry, not as you were... but one of my wishes was granted tonight. So I guess that isn't so bad." As he said this, she began to charge at him. He whirled around, crying out as he summoned Silver Chariot. The knight shot its rapier forward when she lunged into the air, stabbing the false Sherry. Their gazes met as she began to crumble into dust, Polnareff shutting his eyes for a moment. "She wasn't real. She wasn't my sister." He bit his lip, falling to his knees as he ran his hands through the bone dry dirt. Not an ounce of life remained. He returned his attention to Anne then, who was beginning to regain consciousness. He gently scooped her up. "It's alright, Anne. I'm here."

At the same time, Avdol continued his duel against Cameo. "You represent the power of Judgement. You must grant me three wishes!" He shouted as he commanded his stand to send out a wave of flames. "The first is for you to scream in pain!" He shouted as Cameo was struck by the attack, unable to dodge it quick enough. After a moment, he shook it off, jabbing a finger toward Avdol.

"Making another test of strength, are you Avdol?" Cameo called out to him before rearing a fist back, striking Magician's Red. In response, Avdol hissed as he held his chest. "Then I wish YOU the best of luck! What are your other two wishes, then?"

"Come on, Avdol! You can kill that bastard easily!" Polnareff shouted, still hanging onto Anne as she watched on tiredly.

Avdol stood upright. "I wish for a fourth wish." He growled when Cameo hesitated. "What, can you not do it? Will you not grant me my second wish?!" He said before roundhouse kicking Cameo, making the stand stumble back. "Now that I have your attention, my third wish is to make you scream in fear!"

After saying this, Magician's Red rose from behind Cameo, taking him by surprise as he attacked. "This can't be true!" Cameo cried. "There is no way you could have such strength over me!"

"That's it! Keep at it!" Polnareff shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "Finish him off!"

"Now, my fourth wish... I want to hear your cry of regret! Hell 2 U!" Avdol shouted, about to send out another attack, but Cameo cried out as he ran, fleeing from the fire stand.

"No, the bastard is getting away!" Polnareff shouted.

"Let him go. The stand user should be nearby. They can't go far." Avdol said as he turned to see him helping Anne to her feet. "Ms. Lennox." He gave her a nod. "It is good to see that everyone has remained."

Anne took a moment to regain herself before speaking. "Is what you said true, Mr. Avdol? Ever since India... you have remained here in hiding?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Well... this is certainly a fortunate turn of events..." She said, trying to make herself as presentable as possible. Avdol could see that she and Polnareff had been badly hurt. "How did you find us? We must go back to the others. They will be just as delighted to see you, I'm sure... as will your father. Joseph was speaking to him when-"

"They already know of my presence, Ms. Lennox. That was not my father. That was me in disguise." Avdol corrected.

Anne furrowed a brow as Polnareff blinked in confusion. She took a few moments to process this. "Are you telling me... that they all knew already of you being alive and neglected to inform me?" She spun around then. "Were YOU aware of this?!" She snapped at Polnareff.

"N- No! I'm just as surprised as you are!" He exclaimed. "How come they knew all along and we didn't?!"

"He is right. Mr. Joestar, Jotaro, and Kakyoin were informed." Avdol clarified. "And they made it so for my protection."

Anne was silent for a moment. "Let us find this stand user and be done with it." Her expression hardened, turning to move forward.

Avdol was about to say something when Polnareff took his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Anne has that look in her eyes." He warned him.

"What do you mean?" Avdol asked.

"I mean that she only has that look when she's really, REALLY angry." He gulped.

Avdol glanced between Polnareff and Anne a short distance away. "So... you've become quite close with Ms. Lennox?" He rose a brow.

"Yeah... I have." Polnareff replied, unable to help but smile lightly before following after her. The three searched around until they came across a small bamboo shaft sticking out of the ground. Avdol pursed his lip, taking a leaf and placed it on the bamboo. The leaf was moved by air coming out of it, blocking the airflow with his finger. When he heard coughing and wheezing from underground, he and Polnareff exchanged glances before he smirked.

"Being we are in a bit of a hurry, and we have a ways to go... we should relieve ourselves now." Avdol chuckled as the pair laughed, urinating into the bamboo tube. Anne began to seethe behind them, far from amused. Their laughter quickly ended as she thrust her hand into the ground, yanking out the coughing, sputtering stand user in one swift move. Polnareff widened his eyes when she tore into his neck, the man screaming in agony before his choked cries ceased. She threw the lifeless body to the ground, blood dripping from her chin as some of her wounds began to heal. She shot them a look before wordlessly turning and storming back towards the house.

"... Eeyup. She's angry." Polnareff gulped, following after her. "Uh, Anne? Anne, wait up!" He shouted after her. Avdol watched after the pair warily as he silently followed behind them.

When Polnareff caught up to her, she took him by surprise when she whirled around. "I am going to get to the bottom of this. And regardless of their failure to inform us of vital information that nearly cost us both our lives, I will be the better person and inform THEM of that very fact!" She snapped, turning around and resuming to storm back to the house.

Kakyoin waited just outside, pacing about as he kept an eye out for a sign of anyone returning. When he heard footsteps approaching, he stopped, exhaling a sigh of relief when he saw Anne. He furrowed a brow when he saw she appeared disheveled.

"Anne? Are you alright? What-"

"Have you known about Mr. Avdol's condition?" She snapped, cutting him off. When Kakyoin hesitated from being taken aback, Anne clenched her teeth angrily, her fangs glistening as she did so. "Noriaki Kakyoin, were you aware that Mr. Avdol was alive before we arrived to this island?!"

Kakyoin frowned, noticing Avdol and Polnareff now coming into the clearing. Joseph and Jotaro came out of the house then.

"Anne, is everything alright?" Joseph asked, but she ignored him.

"Noriaki, I asked you a question." She asked tensely.

Kakyoin bit his lip, sighing lightly. "Yes... Anne, I'm so sorry, but I couldn't-"

Everyone gasped when Kakyoin's sentence was interrupted by a sucker punch from Anne. Jotaro was about to step in when Joseph held his arm out to stop him. Jotaro shoved his arm aside, striding over to Anne.

"You know why we didn't tell you? THIS is why. You think we can trust you with a secret like this when you're flying off the handle every five minutes?!" Jotaro said angrily before helping Kakyoin to his feet. Anne went to lunge at Jotaro, Polnareff having to quickly grab her to hold her back.

"Perhaps you have forgotten how many times I have been nearly cast into OBLIVION saving your hides!" She hissed. "Do you know that your lie nearly got Jean and I KILLED?! We were out there fighting an assassin and YOU three- no, you FOUR-" She shot a look at Avdol. "-were all here like sitting ducks!"

"Wait a moment... Anne, what are you talking about?" Joseph furrowed a brow as Kakyoin held his nose, his eyes widening.

"Cameo. The Judgement stand had done a good number on Ms. Lennox and Polnareff when I found them. He's dead now. He was able to use the Earth clay to make clones of their loved ones to attack them." Avdol said calmly, but continued to watch Anne warily. At this, Joseph gasped lightly.

"Oh my God..." He said, covering his mouth.

"Fine. That still doesn't give her a right to act like a three year old." Jotaro curled his lip. At this, Anne marched up to him, stopping Polnareff from holding her back.

"Very well then. What will you do? Will you give me one of your icy glares, shout loud enough to evoke intimidation, or beat me into submission? You have no idea what it's like to lose everything! You have your mother, your father, your grandparents, your home and peace of mind with which is the ONLY reason you even have the opportunity to feel self-entitlement!" Her eyes glazed over with moisture. "I thought by now that perhaps you may have learned something. I thought this of ALL of you." She stared daggers at Jotaro. "You dare to look down upon me because I actually display emotion? You're nothing but an arrogant delinquent." She spat before turning on her heel, walking away from the group to the shoreline. Polnareff watched her, looking at all of them somberly.

"She trusted you." He said to the Joestars, Kakyoin and Avdol. "We BOTH did." He said before turning to follow her.

Joseph sighed, frowning at this. "Kakyoin, come back inside. I'll help patch up your nose." He said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Avdol was the first to break the silence once he and Jotaro remained.

"I was a fool to not foresee this. Polnareff is usually better with these things... but it seems that Ms. Lennox has been influencing him to have more clarity."

"She's been influencing him in more ways than one." Jotaro spat.

"Jotaro. Despite what we feel about her, past or present, the fact that she is still here after all of this tells me that she intends to see this through." Avdol said.

"She has a stake in this. An emotional one. That's why she's still here." Jotaro said.

"Do you not as well? Are you not here to save your mother?" Avdol said. "I may be playing the devil's advocate here... but I believe at this point she is here for more than just herself. She lost her family long ago. She does not wish the same for you... and perhaps she also grows tired of a solitary life."

"We all know this already. But she needs to know that even though she wants it so badly, we're NOT her family." Jotaro said, flicking his lighter as he lit up a cigarette.

Meanwhile, Kakyoin muttered an apology as he wiped his eyes. "I never should have kept this from her." He sighed as Joseph disposed of the bloody tissues. "I was torn between remaining loyal to her or to Jotaro."

"Perhaps at the time we were informed of Avdol, I can understand the hesitation to tell her... but you're right. Anne has risked her life several times to save ours. We owe her better than this. I will speak to her once she calms down." Joseph said. "We need to move on, however. We can't lose any more time." The pair headed out, the four moving towards the shoreline. "This is the submarine we were discussing earlier. We will use this to remain discreet and cross the Red Sea. Once we reach Egypt... we will finally begin our search for Dio." They then proceeded inside the submarine, Avdol manning the helm as it submerged into the ocean.

"Jeez, how much did this thing cost?!" Polnareff asked, still rather bewildered by the sudden change of transportation. Joseph simply smirked at the question as Avdol briefly glanced over his shoulder.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Polnareff." Joseph noticed he was remaining close to Anne, who had her face buried in a book. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Anne?"

"Yes? Do forgive me, but I'm a bit occupied at the moment." She replied without averting her gaze from the pages.

"I was hoping I could speak to you. We can go somewhere away from the main area." He said. As he spoke to her, Kakyoin watched from a short distance, sighing lightly as he headed through the doorway to wander about the sea vessel. Anne released a slow exhale, placing the book down.

"If you insist." She said, Polnareff frowning a bit as he watched her reluctantly leave the area with Joseph. Once the door closed behind them, she did her best to maintain eye contact. "Say what you must. I wish to continue to make at least some good use of myself and delve into the philosophies of the World arcana. Perhaps I can make some connection to Dio."

"Anne... I want to apologize." Joseph said.

"For which part, exactly? For lying straight to my face, or the fact that I nearly perished in a wave of emotional turmoil and guilt as a result?" Anne said bitterly. "Let me ask you something. When have I ever betrayed or turned against this party?"

"Never." Joseph replied. "Anne, I-"

"When have I given you reason to distrust me?"

"You haven't. I know-"

"And have I not been a part of this operative for these past weeks now, placing my life and more at risk just as you all have? If you had any reason to believe I did not belong you should have dismissed me right from the off."

"Yes, Anne... I have seen the error of my ways. When Jotaro and I first heard word of Avdol's state... we were only worried that it would somehow make it back to Dio. I didn't keep this from you out of spite, but for his safety."

"And who suggested that Jean and I would be kept in the dark?"

"... I can't say I didn't have a part in that decision, Anne."

"Very well, then. I think we've said what we needed to." She was about to turn to head out, stopping when Joseph placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Anne... there's another reason I didn't want you to know. It doesn't make me regret lying to you any less, but..."

She sighed. "And what reason would that be?"

"I've come to see just how selfless you are. How much you are willing to sacrifice. If you would have learned about this earlier... you would have wanted to help speed up his recovery. And Anne... being on your own, with no protection, if something were to have happened to you... I would never forgive myself." At this, she glanced over her shoulder, her expression softening a bit. "I'm sorry about how my grandson feels towards you. I think... the reason he acts that way is because deep down, he fears getting too close to anyone. Being vulnerable is difficult, Anne. I can see that in both of you. But we were not meant to walk this Earth on our own. There's a softer side to you, and I know there's one in Jotaro. You have to care enough to find it. If you are angry with me, I understand. You had the right to know despite my fears. It's just... in many ways, you remind me of her... my Holly. I've failed to protect her as it is. I can't fail with you, also." As he said this, she turned around to face him. "Your father was loyal to my grandfather and great grandfather until his untimely demise. I don't want to see you perish before the end of my days, Anne. I don't want the same end for you."

Anne was quiet for a moment, taking in his words. After some time had passed, Joseph blinked when she wordlessly stepped forward, hugging him. He smiled at this however, returning the gesture. Sometimes, it took this to remind him that beneath the hard, cold, porcelain skin she showed, the impenetrable exterior which displayed her strength and resilience, there was still a young woman beneath the surface with a heart, and a compassionate one at that. She took a step back, finally breaking her silence. "Thank you, Joseph."

* * *

 **Alright! Despite the drama, we left this chapter on a lighter note. Yes, Anne can sometimes be a bit over the top, but it always comes from the heart- a rare trait for a vampire in the world of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Will it be enough, however, to carry her through the rest of this journey? Stay tuned for the next update as our heroes traverse the Red Sea! Thank you for reading, and be sure to leave your thoughts in a review. See you next time!**


	24. Havoc Of The High Seas: Part One

**Good evening, everyone! I have returned with a new chapter! I've been busy at work with various projects, but I have not forgotten this one! I hope you are ready, because there is a scene here not seen at all in the manga or anime! Are you excited? Then get to it, and enjoy this update!**

* * *

McBrain rolled her eyes when the boat attendant waited for a tip, shoving a few bills into his hand. "If one thing in these bags is like, broken or whatever, I'll make sure you lose your job." She snapped, slinging her pocket book onto her shoulder as her things were brought into a nearby hotel by one of the staff. Once she was settled in, she fixed her hair and makeup, paying a driver to take her across town. She got out of the car, which drove away as she made her way down a few streets, finally reaching the building she was looking for. She approached the door, knocking on it as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She pursed her lips a bit, glancing around in her shades. Her attention returned to the door as it opened, a gentleman standing on the other side. The man wore a tall, cone shaped hat, adorned with lettered earrings and metallic plates on his forehead and chin. He grimaced upon seeing McBrain.

"Do you have an appointment?" He asked.

"Oh, you know exactly who I am in that nerd brain of yours. Now out of my way, Tweedle Dum Dum." She rolled her eyes. "I'm here to see Dio."

"You're telling me that as if I don't know that already. You call me a nerd, but I'd rather be that than some mindless airhead." He replied, leaning forward a bit. "I don't even need to make a doll out of you, princess… you're already one as it is."

"Look, either move your dumb ass or I'll taze you." She said, her lip curling as her lip gloss glistened. D'Arby remained as he was for a moment before stepping aside, letting her pass. Once she entered, she took off her shades, sticking them in her purse as she proceeded. "I forgot how like, gloomy this place is… I really need to get one of my interior designers in here…" She said to herself as she traversed the corridors. As she was about to head up a flight of stairs, someone stepped out of the shadows.

"You have some nerve crawling back here… Mikayla."

She stopped, turning towards the voice. "That's McBrain to you, Ice Cube." She snapped. "Funny… while you're all cooped up in some basement being a little bitch, I'm actually out there doing something."

"Your lack of urgency to follow Dio's commands of us makes my blood boil." Vanilla Ice snapped.

McBrain scoffed. "Why do you think I'm here, dipshit? I've actually got a plan. I'm going to get those like, jerks before they even get here. Aww, don't worry… maybe I'll like, throw you a little pity party if I'm in the mood. See, Dio's going to make me a super star. I'm a go-getter. You? You're just a pathetic wannabe. So keep hating, Ice Cube. I'm hot, and you're not." She stuck her nose in the air then, heading up the stairs as Vanilla Ice watched her silently. He slowly grinned, his eyes following her as she ascended.

Within his chambers, Dio reclined, scratching the underside of his avian ally's chin, Petshop. The animal suddenly snapped his eyes open, glancing to the side upon sensing someone approaching. Dio casually followed the bird's gaze, making no sudden movements as McBrain entered the dark chambers. He watched as she moved past the tall candle sticks, the rows of bookshelves, entering his lounge. Just then, a small gust of chilly air crept up her spine, making her shiver a bit. When she turned around, she gasped a bit in surprise when Dio was suddenly behind her. "Mikayla." He spoke, the name rolling off his tongue.

"Oh, Dio…" She giggled a bit nervously, putting a hand over her heart. "Jeez, you scared me… oh my God, like, I am so glad to see you." She popped her bag down, sighing a bit as Dio watched her silently. "Look… I know you're probably like, super bummed that I didn't kill those jerks. But I came to tell you, like, I've got this super duper plan that's going to blow everyone away. They showed me all their secret weapons and attacks and stuff… so I was like, hoping-"

"What makes you think you can stand up to them? After all… you are a pretty, delicate thing." Dio asked, his sharp fingernails grazing her cheek.

"Because I'm the best." She smirked. "They thought they killed me, but they didn't."

"Indeed… all of Enyaba's servants, as well as she herself, perished in their confrontations against the Joestars and their allies." Dio replied.

"Exactly. That old hag got hers for calling me a 'Western whore.' So… I'm asking pretty please if I could have a new porche and a couple other teensy weensy things go I can get back out there and show them like, who's boss." She said as she smiled, batting her eyelashes a bit.

"Hm." Dio pondered for a moment. "I already have new servants already stationed in Egypt to do my bidding." As he said this, McBrain's smile faded.

"Dio, come on…" She whined, going up to him to rub his muscular forearm. "You said yourself that you see like, SO much potential in me. I would have killed them but that stupid Jotaro distracted me! I swear, I'll get them really good next time."

"I don't give many second chances very often…" He said as he paced around her. "Tell me… have you seen Hol Horse on your journey here?"

McBrain thought for a moment. "Y- Yeah… he was looking for another partner after that creep J bit the dust… I told him we could team up and take them down together…"

"Did you, now?" She nodded as Dio smirked. "You were always quite ambitious. But sometimes ambition can lead to downfall if not done correctly. I have you in one hand… and Hol in the other. Both of you were given a chance to do my bidding, and both of you failed. However, what you have each done with that failure differs. You, my dear, have come to me… filled with contrite and eager to see my command is fulfilled. In the other hand… Hol has betrayed me. Were you aware of this?" He looked at her, his eyes piercing through hers.

"B- Betrayed you…?" She asked lightly.

"He allowed them to escape from Enyaba's wrath. It was Daniel who reported this to me and ended her wicked life for it before he himself was destroyed by the vampire." Dio rose a brow. "Tell me, my beautiful McBrain… Mikayla…" He approached her as her breath shuddered, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Would you do the same? Kill the one who betrayed me?"

McBrain swallowed, her throat becoming dry. "D- Dio, baby, look… Hol is like, super dumb… let me team up with him so he can help me like, kill those idiots when they get to Egypt… then I can take care of him after, okay? Like… I do it in the fashion industry all the time!" She forced a smile, turning to look back at him. "I- I got a plan, Dio… you've got to believe me…"

"I do believe you…" A sinister grin grew in his features. "I believe… that perhaps Hol is smarter than you believe him to be. One who fails their master is better to run… like an insect escaping the spider's web…" He leaned closer, his chilled breath making goosebumps appear upon her neck. "But you, my dear… have walked right into it." Just then, McBrain gasped as he grabbed her neck, her brows twisting as Dio chuckled lightly. "Two little soldiers sitting in the sun…" He spoke as she began to gag. "One frizzled up… and then there was one. One measly little soldier girl was left. She hung herself… and then there were none." He stared at her as he kept a firm grip on her neck, watching her struggle. "I'm going to teach you a very valuable lesson. Be careful of whom you forge alliances with. If they can't get the job done… be sure they are far weaker than you. All the easier to eliminate them." He said as he squeezed her neck tighter, her eyes beginning to moisten.

"Why-… why are you doing this-?" McBrain choked out.

"Because I have a decision to make. Have you not listened to my words just now? I said earlier, I don't give second chances very often. So, I must make a choice. Should I spare you… or should I spare Hol Horse?" He pursed his lip a bit.

"D- Dio… you wouldn't hurt me…" McBrain whimpered. "You believe in me…"

"Funny. Enyaba said something very similar… before she perished as well." Dio chuckled. "Women are so gullible..."

McBrain began to panic then, struggling as she desperately tried to fill her lungs with oxygen. "W- Wait, wait… y- you can't kill me… I… I've got Hol… eating out of the palm of my hands… I could u- use him for what he's- he's like, worth… I c- could… tell him you want to see him… a- and then, you c- could do what you want. I could-… save you the work… a- and then it'll be done." She tried to smile and nod through her choking.

Dio sighed lightly. "Well… I suppose I simply cannot turn that down, can I? After all, your charm is quite potent."

"Y- Yeah… I- I can save us both… th- the two of us, together…!" She choked out a laugh.

"Hm… but you took him as your lover… did you not?" Dio asked then. "That would produce a conflict in certain reports. You know better than anyone the ways of the press, don't you, Mikayla…?" Dio asked.

"Th- The public… they're dumb… they'll b- believe anything…" She whimpered, gagging as Dio tilted his head.

"You were one of my favorites, my dear… truly." He said as he watched her. "But unfortunately… it takes more than charm to sway the truly powerful. My head is not empty like the masses you speak of... or your own. No… you do not fear me. You don't fear anything because you are entitled. I envy your blissful ignorance. But Hol Horse… he will come to me, without your guiding hand. I will always admire your boldness. But as I said earlier as well… ambition can lead to one's downfall."

McBrain's eyes widened as she felt her feet separate from the floor. "N- No, Dio, wait-" She squeaked out before her voice was cut off. Dio smirked as he felt his fingers sink deeper into her neck, basking in her adrenaline.

He felt more satisfied to be feared than to be loved.

* * *

Kakyoin continued to wander about the submarine, observing the rations and other supplies and equipment. After some time, he returned to the front area, where Polnareff sighed lightly. "Kakyoin. Did you happen to see if there's coffee in this joint?"

"Yes. We only have five mugs, unless one of you is willing to share." Kakyoin replied.

"Whatever, just hurry up and make me some!" Polnareff snapped.

"Make it yourself!" Kakyoin barked back, annoyed by his sudden rudeness.

"Well, you seem to like doing everything else on your own... including keeping important secrets." Polnareff said.

"Jean, I already apologized for that, I never meant to hurt you and Anne-"

"Leave her out of this. Unless you want your nose to be so sunken in that no amount of bandages in the world can help you." Polnareff narrowed his eyes, Kakyoin frowning deeply. He glanced over at Jotaro, who hadn't said a word since they boarded the submarine, and didn't seem like he was going to utter anything anytime soon.

Just then, Avdol peered into the submarine's telescope to get a view above water, noticing they were soon approaching land. He then checked the map, a smile growing in his features.

"Hey! We're almost there!" He exclaimed, getting everyone together as he displayed the map for all to see. "Look, there's an natural underwater tunnel formed by erosion near this costal reef. The exit is approximately two hundred meters inland. We'll surface from there." He said. The group expressed relief upon hearing this.

After seemingly countless trials, their destination was finally within reach.

"At last, we finally made it..." Joseph breathed.

"Yeah, finally... we're close to finding Dio." Polnareff added as he took Anne's hand, determined to see this journey to the end.

"About damned time..." Jotaro spat. "Give me a shout when we reach land." He said before wandering away from the group.

Kakyoin decided to take Polnareff's advice, as bitter as it was, making some coffee. When it was brewed, everyone but Anne took a cup, who politely declined.

"This is really good..." Kakyoin said. He cleared his throat when Polnareff only grumbled in annoyance at him. "Jean... I know you're upset with me... but is there any way you can forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you when Anne does." He said. Anne sighed at this, rubbing her temples.

"Jean, don't stay cross with him simply for my account. If you wish to speak civilly with him, then by all means, do so. I will take no offense." Anne said.

"Better than American coffee, Mr. Joestar?" Avdol asked, giving him a smirk as Joseph simply grumbled in response.

"Hey Kakyoin, I thought you said there was only five mugs." Jotaro said, confusing the red-head.

"Really? Strange... I must've spaced out. I could've sworn there was five..." He thought aloud.

"Lost too much blood back on the island, probably." Jotaro muttered.

As Joseph was about to take another sip, the mug suddenly began to move on its own before violently transforming before their very eyes. Everyone was caught off guard as it tore away from Joseph's prosthetic hand. Before he could even react, Joseph was struck by two prosthetic fingers which were severed, clutching his neck as he fell.

"Mr. Joestar!" Kakyoin cried as he and Anne rushed to his side.

"This can't be! An enemy stand snuck aboard the sub!" Avdol exclaimed as the hideous creature hung above them. It was small, with a round, furry brown body, but its arms and legs were oddly muscular. Its face wore a perpetual grimace as it resembled a kabuki mask, its yellow eyes and gargantuan mouth emphasized with purple marks outlining them. Just as it appeared before them, Star Platinum was summoned before unleashing a vicious punch to its face, sending it splattering against the wall. To the group's horror, however, it subsequently dissolved into the wall.

"It disappeared!" Polnareff shouted.

"No... that's not it." Jotaro replied. "It's up to something."

"Wait... it transformed! It's disguising itself as one of the gauges like it did the coffee mug!" Avdol figured out, but none of them were able to tell which one was the stand.

"Dammit, we're already at the coral reef! We should be hitting the exit soon." Polnareff said, looking over to Joseph. "Is Mr. Joestar going to be okay?"

"He's fine... only superficial injuries, and that creature only cut his artificial hand off." Anne said, releasing her asp of mercy. "Hear me out. If one of you could somehow cut the stand, I could capture its scent. It would make it easier to track."

"Easier said than done, Ms. Lennox." Avdol replied. "But that would give us an advantage if we can manage it."

He then thought for a moment. "This has to be the stand which reflects the High Priestess. I've heard of this user. She goes by the name of Midler. The stand can be controlled from far away, so it's likely that she's on the surface. It can turn into anything so long as it's a mineral, metal, glass, even plastics and vinyl. Even if we try and touch it and feel it, we won't recognize it's the stand until it attacks." Avdol explained.

"But how the hell did it sneak aboard?!" Polnareff asked. His question was shortly answered when water started to pour in from a hole cut by the stand, the submarine beginning to shake.

"Damn! It broke the ballast tanks! We're sinking fast!" Avdol shouted as the alarms began to sound.

"Our oxygen supply is getting low also, we can't last like this!" Kakyoin shouted, watching helplessly as the gauges dropped further down.

"Hold on! We're going to hit the ocean floor!" Avdol exclaimed before bracing for impact, the submarine grinding to a halt as it ran aground.

"Is everyone alright?" Anne asked as Polnareff helped her to her feet.

"Sacre bleu! Why does every vehicle we use keep getting destroyed?!" He said, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Jotaro glanced around, remaining vigilant. As always, despite the chaos ensuing around him, he kept his cool, waiting for his chance to strike. "Kakyoin... did you see which gauge it turned into?"

Kakyoin hesitated for a moment as his eyes scanned the gauges. He honestly couldn't remember which one it was, and they all look so similar. "I... I think it's that one." He said, pointing to the one on the lower left side. As Jotaro's gaze rested upon it, Star Platinum hovered its fist over it.

As they observed the gauges, Avdol suddenly gasped. "Jotaro! It already moved! It's behind Kakyoin!" He shouted, causing them both to whirl around as the hideous stand lunged out from the wall and assaulted Kakyoin's neck before he could defend himself. As Star Platinum was about to smash his fist into the stand's face, it melted into the walls and disappeared again.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Anne shouted, rushing over to Kakyoin to inspect and heal his wound.

"Quickly! We need to leave this room and trap it inside!" Avdol cried as he rushed to the door and grabbed the wheel handle. He realized too late that the stand already duplicated the handle, already poised to slash at his arms. "I- Impossible! How is it this fast?!" He exclaimed.

Despite its speed, Star Platinum was faster as it yanked the stand off the door, feeling it squirm in its grasp. "Tres bien, Jotaro! Don't show any mercy and rip it apart!" Polnareff cheered, hoping for a swift victory.

"Yeah, yeah..." The delinquent replied as Star Platinum clenched its fists, feeling the stand turning into mush.

Jotaro then realized that it was not dying- it was transforming.

It quickly turned into a set of razor blades, slicing Star Platinum's hands, before escaping and disappearing into the metal once more. Just before it did, Jotaro glared as the creature cackled at them, dissolving into the floor. Jotaro hissed as his hands bled, becoming irritated by the stand's antics.

"Forget it, Jotaro, it'll just transform again!" Avdol advised. "We're sinking and the water is rising! We need to seal this off- then we can figure out how to defeat it together." He added before leaving the room. The crusaders rushed through the submarine as it took in water, attempting to outrun the vicious stand.

"What are we going to do? Even if we sealed that thing off, it's going to just bust out and attack again!" Kakyoin asked, now paranoid of all the machinery around him.

"We're at a disadvantage being confined to a closed space full of equipment. It's a shame to do away with such an expensive submarine, but we have no choice but to abandon it." Anne replied, trying to keep a level head.

"We're forty meters below the sea level, Anne! How in the hell are we going surface from that?!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"Here, follow me, this may be enough to get us out of this jam!" Joseph said, leading the group to the emergency airlock. He opened a series of lockers, revealing full sets of scuba-diving equipment.

"Seriously?! I've never done this before!" Polnareff exclaimed, looking at one of the suits as the others began to put on their own, Anne helping out Joseph with his.

"Jean, it's not rocket science." Anne replied flatly. "There is only enough for all but one of us. Thankfully, I can survive without sufficient levels of air, the rest of you cannot say the same."

"Alright, has anyone else scuba dived before?" Joseph asked, to which no one replied. Avdol kept firm against the door, the Priestess stand trying to bust through from the other side.

"We don't have much time! Teach us quickly!" Avdol cried.

"Don't panic- that is the first and most important thing to remember when scuba diving." Joseph replied, maintaining a calm tone. "For every ten meters you go underwater, the pressure increases by one atmosphere. At the surface, there's only one atmosphere of pressure. We're currently forty meters below sea level, so we'll have to deal with five times that. If we try to surface immediately, our lungs and blood vessels will burst. We have to get to the top slowly so that our bodies can adjust. We're near the coast, so we can crawl up the sea floor as we ascend." Joseph explained to the group as he made his way over to the valve while explaining how it worked. "Obviously we can't talk underwater, so we'll have to use hand signals to communicate. We'll keep it simple with just two."

"But... can't we just use our stands to talk?" Avdol interjected.

"O- Oh right... I forgot about that." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Aww... but I already came up with a good hand signal…" Polnareff pouted.

"Dare I ask what that would be, Jean?" Anne asked, raising a brow.

"Mais oui! I know a bit of sign language." He nodded, demonstrating it. Anne was genuinely impressed- that was, until Kakyoin translated it.

"'I can see your panties?'" Kakyoin asked to confirm.

"Yeah!" Polnareff grinned. Kakyoin couldn't help but snicker as the two shared a bit of comradery through an elaborate handshake. Anne however, was not at all amused, storming up to clunk their heads together.

"Ow! Anne, what the hell?" Polnareff winced as the pair rubbed their heads.

"The enemy stand is right on our tail, we are about to be submerged forty meters below the sea's surface and you're seriously trying to pull some schoolyard joke?! Get your regulators on and stop acting like children!" Anne exploded as she had reached the end of her rope.

As the airlock began to fill with water, the group hurriedly put on their equipment to dive out of the sub. Once they were set, doing one final check to ensure everything was secured, they made their way toward the escape hatch. They did not make it far before Polnareff began to choke and struggle with his regulator. Anne whirled around as she realized that Priestess had already reached them. She had transformed into the regulator Polnareff had taken, attempting to choke him to death.

Jotaro dove forward to get to him, attempting to tear Priestess away from Polnareff. She was quick, however, darting into Polnareff's throat. As she tried to tear him apart from the inside, Heirophant Green and Hermit Purple drove into Polnareff's nostrils, trying to extract the stand before it could cause more damage. The pair of stands managed to grasp the hideous creature, pulling it out of Polnareff's mouth. Desperate for air and frantically struggling to reset his regulator, he suddenly felt a pair of lips of his, giving his lungs much needed relief as they slowly filled with oxygen. When he realized Anne was helping him breathe, he snapped out of his stupor as she broke their connection, smiling and nodding as he adjusted his regulator, giving her a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes before glancing behind her, her hair whisking behind her as she realized Priestess was not done with them just yet.

As they tried to once again move toward the escape hatch, she transformed into a functional harpoon gun, attempting to skewer the crusaders as she aimed for them. Her attempts soon became futile as she was met with the latch closing shut behind them, the group successfully fleeing the submarine and into the open sea.

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **Alright, going to end it here! So, what did you all think about the added scene? Like it? Hate it? Leave your thoughts in a review! As always, thank you for reading, and I will see you next time!**


	25. Havoc Of The High Seas: Part Two

**Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a nice Memorial Day weekend, and that you're ready for a new chapter here! We're certainly moving along now, so I hope you enjoy what's to come!**

* * *

Despite the chaos left behind in the crashed submarine, the crusaders finally found solace in the calm, tranquil sea. They observed the breathtaking oceanic life throughout, schools of fish swimming among the colorful reefs.

"It's quite beautiful here... I hope I can come back and scuba dive here for a vacation someday." Polnareff commented through Silver Chariot, looking over at Anne for a moment. She glanced back at him, her expression soft as she nodded.

As relaxing as the scenery was, there was not much time to enjoy it; the Crusaders had to move quickly to reach to the surface, only having a limited supply of oxygen to get them there. "Is it still after us?" Jotaro asked through Star Platinum, to which Avdol shook his head.

"High Priestess can only transform into metals or glass; now that we have left the submarine, we're in the clear." He replied through Magician's Red.

"Just be careful... it can still try and transform into a screw or gear floating about in the water. Watch for any moving rocks or pebbles." Joseph warned through Hermit Purple as they swam.

Soon enough, they reached a rock formation with a pair of sea tunnels, indicating that they were close to land. "We have to be at least seven meters below the surface! We're finally at the Egyptian shore!" Avdol exclaimed, more than relieved that they had made it this far.

They were so close to finally reaching their destination... as they began to swim toward the tunnels, however, the ground beneath them opened up. The water currents changed as the group was suddenly drawn downwards. As they all looked down, they saw, to their horror, that they were being funneled into a large, open mouth. Failing to notice that High Priestess had disguised herself as the sea bed, they were subsequently trapped as the gargantuan mouth clamped shut.

Inside, after taking a moment to recover from the jarring ordeal, they found themselves in an oddly fleshy cavern as Priestess laughed. "Hahahahaha! You guys really are dense! The entire sea bed is full of minerals!" She cackled at their misfortune.

"The stand's power grew so much... the user must be nearby!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"And when I get my hands on this persistent cur, I'm going to bleed them dry!" Anne hissed.

"Exactly! I'm at the shore seven meters from here… but High Priestess will chew you to bits before you can even get there and see my face!" She said, laughing once more as Anne screamed in frustration.

"I refuse to be outwitted and outdone by any assassin of Dio's! Asp of spite!" Anne shouted. Sekhmet released her left arm bracelet, the snake extension floating and trying to sink its fangs into some part of the fleshy interior. However, everything was too large for the snake to grasp or sink its fangs into, unable to complete the attack. As Anne seethed, Jotaro sighed.

"Was a nice thought." He said as he glanced about. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

"Jotaro!" The stand's voice suddenly bellowed, echoing through its cavernous mouth. "It's such a shame that I have to digest you with my High Priestess... you're just my type of guy. Strong, handsome, aloof of the danger he's in... if only Lord Dio didn't want you dead." The user said.

Upon hearing this, Polnareff suddenly came up with an idea and floated over to Jotaro, pulling him in and whispering into his ear. After hearing his suggestion, Jotaro audibly groaned as he closed his eyes, disgusted. "Good grief... do I seriously have to say that?" He whispered.

"Yes! It may be our only chance, just hurry up and say it!" Polnareff whispered back. Despite having absolutely no desire to go through with the suggestion, he floated forth to speak loud enough for the gigantic stand to hear.

"Midler... I would like to see your face. You could be my type of girl." He said. If he wasn't wearing his regulator, his teeth would be gritting hard enough to draw blood. "I think... I'm falling... for you."

As the others present stared at him in shock, Midler fell silent for a moment. If one were to observe the stand, it would somehow be blushing- such a thing was not anywhere close to the most bizarre occurrence they would experience on this journey. "W- Why yes! I think she's a very attractive girl, I can tell by her beautiful voice." Polnareff said, turning to the others and looking at them intently, as if signaling to them to play along. Finally understanding what was going on, others chimed in.

"Indeed. I get the impression you are an elegant woman." Avdol added.

"Doesn't she sound like Audrey Hepburn?" Kakyoin asked.

"Man, if only I were thirty years younger..." Joseph said. Anne was dumbfounded by this, certain that this plan would only backfire; if only she were wrong. The mouth suddenly began to shake violently as Midler inhaled and screamed.

"SHUT UP, YOU LYING BASTARDS! You don't mean any of that! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" She shouted, her voice deafening as the crusaders were tossed around as her giant tongue moved beneath them.

"Jean, clearly you, nor the rest of you, haven't any idea how to properly calm a woman!" Anne shouted.

"Holy shiiiiit!" Joseph cried. The large tongue that was beneath them lurched upwards, ready to slam into the crusaders. As it whipped toward them, all but Jotaro and Anne were able to successfully dodge it, the pair subsequently knocked into the stand's teeth.

"Shit! They're on the molars! Hurry you two, get out of there before you're crushed!" Polnareff shouted as the jaw started to close. Star Platinum appeared then, attempting to hold the upper row of teeth up. However, the amount of force pushing down was too great.

"These teeth are as hard as diamonds, Jotaro! You'll never break them! I'll crush you and your friend into paste!" Midler jeered.

"Quickly, save them!" Joseph shouted, summoning his Hermit Purple as the others followed suit. Before any of their stands could reach them, however, the teeth slammed closed, crushing their friends and exploding their oxygen tanks.

"A- Anne?! No, ANNE!" Polnareff screamed, distraught over their possible demise. Kakyoin could only stare in shock, his glance lowering.

As shock washed over him like the water he was submerged in, he realized that the last thing Anne would remember was how he had lied to her. Betrayed her trust. She had perished before his very eyes, and he did nothing. He did nothing to even attempt to save her.

"Wait! I hear something..." Joseph said, stopping Polnareff as he tried to listen in.

"Yes, I can hear it too... it sounds far away." Avdol added.

Just then, Kakyoin's head snapped up as he realized they were right. "There's two of them... two sounds... and they're getting closer!"

As the sound became clearer, the sound of hard impacts and sharp cuts could be made out. "Everyone! Get back!" Joseph yelled out as they swam away from the teeth before the diamond-like molars exploded behind them. Jotaro and Anne were alive and well, the pair destroying High Priestess' teeth. Despite the fortress-like durability of the teeth, both Star Platinum and Sekhmet were able to pound and slash them into dust. "Oh my god! They're destroying the rest!" Joseph yelled as they both worked through the jawline, Jotaro smashing the upper row while Anne cut through the lower row. With a combined attack, Star Platinum and Sekhmet busted through the stand's mouth, pulverizing its teeth and eviscerating its gums and lips before swimming to the surface.

"I guess your diamonds were low on calcium." Jotaro spat at the stand. He then glanced over at Anne, who smirked at him. To both their surprise, he smirked back, giving her a nod. The group surfaced, trudging onto shore, wringing excess water from their clothes. As they continued ahead, they noticed a woman in a long dress laying on the ground in front of them, motionless.

"It's Midler!" Avdol said, bracing himself in case this is a trap.

"She looks hurt. Is she done for?" Kakyoin asked as Polnareff perked up beside him.

"I'll go and check!" He was about to move toward the woman when he received a glare from Anne. "She uh... may need help." Polnareff chuckled nervously before being pulled back by Anne.

"No... WE will go and check." She insisted before going with him. When they came upon her to look her over, Polnareff recoiled in shock and disgust over her state, making Anne smirk a bit.

"Well? How is she?" Joseph asked the pair.

"N- No comment! Her mouth is busted up pretty badly, no point in looking!" Polnareff cried.

"Hm… it's as if she swallowed a serrated firework." Anne commented on the broken woman. "Well, waste not, want not." She said, Polnareff clearing his throat as she bent down to feed on the disfigured assassin. When she finished, the group continued on.

"We've been through a lot..." Kakyoin said aloud.

"Indeed, we have." Anne replied.

Kakyoin sighed then. "Anne… I really am sorry for not telling you about Avdol." At this, Anne slowed a bit. He sighed, shaking his head. "When… I thought I had lost you and Jotaro back there… I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life living with-…"

Anne turned to him then. "I suppose I deserved it for not believing you about the child we found." She looked up at him. "So… would you say we're even, then?" She couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Kakyoin shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. At this, Jotaro approached them, glancing at Anne and sighing. "Look. Sorry for what I said back on the island. You're… not terrible."

Anne smirked. "My sentiments reflect yours, Jotaro." She nodded.

"We've gone pretty far together… the inside of a brain, inside our dreams..." Kakyoin said, sighing lightly.

"Dreams? What are you talking about?" Joseph asked, overhearing the last bit.

"Oh right... you can't remember that." Kakyoin said, chuckling a little.

"Finally, after thirty days, we made it to Egypt... Dio is within our grasp." Joseph said, more determined than ever to find him and save his daughter.

Their journey has been long and arduous, but they had only reached the halfway mark. They had finally reached Egypt, but now they had to reach their nemesis.

As they headed away from the shoreline, they made it into a nearby town, finding a decent hotel to stay in and recuperate.

"Mr. Avdol, I know we are dealing with a tight time constraint here, but we've had barely any time to recover since Abu Dhabi. Going forward exhausted and with unattended injuries is only going to drain us more and prevent us from dealing with Dio effectively." Kakyoin said.

Avdol sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right. We'll stay here through tomorrow and then move on." As he said this, Anne approached them.

"I'm going to look for a hospital. To add to what Noriaki suggested, if I feed enough, I'll have enough strength to speed along the healing process for the rest of you." She said.

"Alright. Just be careful, Anne. We're closer to Dio than ever now, we have no idea what tricks he has up his sleeve." Avdol said.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Avdol. I'll remain vigilant. I shouldn't be long." She said, nodding to them before turning to head off.

* * *

Jotaro rolled his eyes as he threw his shirt to the side. He could hear his grandfather snoring loudly from his room, shaking his head as he reclined on his bed. With one hand behind his head, he eventually closed his eyes, succumbing to his own fatigue.

As Anne made her way towards a local hospital, Polnareff gazed upon her from his room's window, sighing lightly as he rested his head on his hand. After all they had been through, he wondered if things would finally begin to look up for them. After all… hadn't they all suffered enough?

Meanwhile, Anne remained watchful- evening was setting, but she knew there could still be some lurking within the shadows, observing. She finally found a hospital, remaining discreet as she found an unguarded entrance. She made her way down what seemed to be a maintenance wing's corridor, eventually reaching a sign in Arabic. She was able to read phrases here and there from her past travels, enough to grasp a gist of what the sign said. She made her way to a different wing, ducking in closets and bathrooms when necessary to wait out any unwanted presences. She finally reached a comatose unit, deeming this was the best option for now. Usually, she would simply ransack the blood supply, but she needed fresh blood right now, warm blood. She glanced around the unit, pursing her lip for a moment as she lightly toed toward the beds. She took a better look at her options, stopping when she saw a teddy bear on the floor near a curtained bed. She furrowed a brow, reaching down to take up the toy and draw back the curtain. She stopped then, shutting her eyes for a moment. She shook her head, reopening them. She approached, gently lifting the child's arm to tuck the bear under it. She turned, about to go back to feed on one of the more elderly comatose patients.

She did not even hear the man having risen from his bed.

Before she could react, the next thing she saw was the ceiling as he struck her with an oxygen tank. As her vision became fuzzy, she saw the man pin her down- long, stringy hair obscuring his face.

* * *

Kakyoin sighed lightly to himself, having been sketching in his art binder. He sighed to himself, brushing some of the eraser shavings away as he stared at his work. "Doesn't do her justice." He said quietly to himself, exhaling sharply as he shut the book, placing it aside. He turned to place away his pencil and eraser when he suddenly stopped. He straightened up, glancing back to look at the clock.

Polnareff was sound asleep, his head resting on his arms as his upper body draped over against the window sill. The door opened then, Kakyoin striding over to him. After shaking him lightly, Polnareff groggily opened his eyes. "Ugh… Kakyoin, get out of my bed."

"Jean, I'm not in your bed. You're not in your bed. And unfortunately, in this case, neither is Anne. I didn't realize how much time has passed. She hasn't returned." Kakyoin said with concern.

"Oh… she went to the hospital, it's only been five minutes…" Polnareff waved him off sleepily.

"Polnareff, it's been five hours!" Kakyoin exclaimed then, making the Frenchman jolt.

"Wait, what? Five hours?!" He whirled around to grab the analog clock off the dresser. "Sacre bleu! Where the hell is she?!"

"That's what I came in here to ask you!" Kakyoin threw his hands up.

"Shit… come on, we've got to go find her!" Polnareff jumped to his feet, going over to the door. When he flew it open, however, he was surprised to see that none other than Anne was standing there. The pair of men froze, Anne taking off her hood as she rose a brow.

"Gentlemen… am I interrupting something?" She glanced between them. "I could take Noriaki's room for the night if such is the case."

"Anne-! Where were you?! We were worried sick!" Polnareff asked, Kakyoin rolling his eyes.

"Correction. I was worried sick, he was sound asleep." He interjected.

"That sounds accurate." Anne said, moving forth into the room to remove her cloak. "I apologize for the concern. I seem to have been fatigued myself. I took one of the empty beds, it seems. I suppose we have been through quite an ordeal, so I suppose rest is the best course of action for now."

"Alright… just… don't make me nervous like that. The last time you wandered off and didn't return right away…" Kakyoin replied, thinking back to the island where they met up with Avdol.

Polnareff yawned widely. "Rest sounds almost as nice as your voice does… allez, bébé... I need to get comfy again."

"Well, it seems Jean is planning to retire as soon as possible." Anne said flatly.

"It's alright. Goodnight, Anne." Kakyoin said, turning to close the door behind him.

For the first time in days, the group finally had the opportunity to sleep peacefully. It was well needed, as they all expected the next leg of their journey to be a dangerous and unpredictable one. After several hours passed, Polnareff blinked his eyes open, sleepily rolling over to the side, his hands lightly feeling about the darkness to hold Anne to him.

However, he soon realized there was only empty space where she was supposed to be.

"Anne…?" Polnareff mumbled tiredly. "Anne, come back…" He groaned, his eyes threatening to shut once more. When an indistinguishable sound reached his ears, however, he gained a small amount of alertness, turning over to look toward the door of the attached bathroom. "Anne?" When he received no reply, he finally willed himself to sit up. "Hey, Anne, are you sleepwalking or something?" He asked, sighing as he threw off his covers. "Sacre bleu…" He took a moment to stretch before rising to his feet, shuffling towards the bathroom to lightly knock on the door with his knuckles. "Hey, Earth to Anne."

"Jean…" Anne was heard from inside.

In that moment, Polnareff's spine tensed up. Her voice sounded strained, and he sensed immediately that something was wrong. "Anne, what's going on?" He tightened his lips when he only received an incoherent mumble as an answer. "Alright, I'm coming in."

Upon opening the door, he froze. In the bathroom was a small window, allowing light from the moon to illuminate the small space. It was within that light that he witnessed the sight of blood pooled haphazardly on the floor and in the sink. It dripped from Anne's mouth, the crimson liquid staining her light pink nightgown. "Jean…" She groaned once again, holding her stomach. "I… don't understand…"

After several moments of remaining frozen, Polnareff shook his head, striding quickly to kneel beside her. "Anne, what- what the hell is going on?!"

"I-… I awoke to… something feeling off. Then it just… started. I've only now found enough relief to breathe… never in my many years on the Earth's surface has this happened…" She replied, Polnareff supporting her so she could remain sitting up. As he listened to her speak, his brows furrowed lightly, his eyes widened then as he slowly looked over at her.

"Anne… do you have any idea what this means?" He asked.

"I haven't a clue… what does it mean, Jean?" She asked with exasperation.

"It was a long time ago… but I still remember it. My mother was very sick one day. What I didn't know is that it was both the best and the worst thing that could have happened. She… was pregnant with my sister, Anne." He said.

"Jean…" She sighed, shifting her weight a bit. "It's… a wonderful thought… a beautiful thought, truly… but you're forgetting one small detail. I'm a vampire… I cannot be with child."

"That's bullshit! I bet my hair that this Dio guy can have children and he's a vampire, so you can too!" He said, gently holding her shoulders as surprisingly, he grinned from ear to ear. "Anne, don't you see? We've both lost so much, but look… maybe we're finally getting what we each wanted. You always wanted a family, and I always wanted a beautiful woman by my side… inside and out, believe it or not." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Anne stared at him for a few moments before glancing down, looking back up at him. "Jean… I'm afraid to believe that… this could be some sort of blessing. So many times I've hoped, only for the result to be utterly horrifying. That tends to be the pattern of this world, it seems."

Jean took her hands, kissing them as he gently took her into his arms, lifting her. "You're such a downer, Anne. Come on. Let me make you comfortable." He carried her back to their bed, gently hugging her to him as her cool skin soothed his own. Despite her state, she eventually calmed, closing her eyes as she fell into slumber.

As Jean fell into his own, his thoughts wandered. What if this was some sort of miracle? Was this a gift from God? His mother? His sister? Was she smiling upon him from the heavens for avenging her death? Was Anne's family doing the same? Only time could tell… but to his own surprise, even after the experiences they'd had along the way, the thought of sharing some kind of life with Anne, in more than one aspect of the word, was as comforting as their embrace.

If only that comfort could have lasted forever… or at the very least, through the night.

* * *

Kakyoin groaned when he felt someone trying to stir him, blinking his eyes open. When his vision cleared, he saw Jotaro standing over him, able to make him out despite the low light.

"Jotaro? What is it?" He asked groggily.

"Something's up." Was all he said before turning, heading out of his room. To Kakyoin's confusion, he sat up, throwing a shirt on before wandering into the hall. Just then, he saw Joseph go into Anne and Polnareff's room.

"Anne, it's going to be alright, he's right here." Joseph was heard speaking.

Kakyoin furrowed his brows. Did something happen to Jean? With an air of dread, he approached the room, stopping in the doorway to peer inside. He noticed, to his relief, that Polnareff seemed to be just fine. Anne, however, was hunched over a bit, Polnareff rubbing her back.

"Jean." Kakyoin spoke his name. "What's going on?"

To his surprise, Polnareff glanced up, smiling through tears. "It's a miracle, Noriaki!" He exclaimed.

"Polnareff." Avdol interjected. "Vampires have been known to have children. However, Anne is a woman. We have no idea if she is even capable. The only vampires Mr. Joestar and I have encountered were male."

"Just as I said, a miracle!" Polnareff beamed, gently holding Anne up. "Don't worry, you're going to be just fine, alright?"

"Look. I'm happy for you. But we're on a time limit here." Jotaro said. "If she's pregnant, we have to leave her behind. That includes you."

Polnareff looked up then. "Wait, what? Jotaro, I can't leave her now!"

"We don't have a choice, Polnareff." Jotaro replied.

"Yes, I do. I'm not going to leave Anne to do this all by herself."

"And I didn't tell you to knock her up." Jotaro spat.

"Jotaro." Joseph held a hand up. "This is a delicate situation. You have a point, but we have to think about everyone's well being also. We've seen the consequences of neglecting to do this." He had doubts of the possibility of Anne being with child, but hoped that deep down, that was the case.

"Listen here, Jotaro." Polnareff stood then, pointing a finger at him. "My father left my mother halfway through her pregnancy. If he hadn't been a selfish bastard, she may have lived, my sister may be alive now if he had been there for us, damn it!" He shouted. "I'm not going to make the same mistake!"

"J- Jean…" Anne groaned then, causing him to return to her side without another word. As Jotaro reflected on his own father in silence, Joseph glancing at him as he did so, Kakyoin suddenly inhaled when Anne's back arched sharply.

"Anne?!" Kakyoin shouted, shoving past Jotaro to get to her.

"Shit!" Polnareff exclaimed. "Baby, you have to calm down!" As she began to convulse, seizing violently, blood began to pour from every orifice; her eyes, nose, and mouth. Joseph and Avdol rushed over, helping to hold her down. "Mr. Joestar, why is this happening?! You've seen vampires before, you have to tell me!" Despite his plea, all Joseph could do was stare as the poor thing continued to wordlessly convulse, her sapphire blue eyes replaced with whiteness. "Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff's voice cracked as he screamed.

Kakyoin snapped out of his stupor, his heart pounding. "Jean, get something soft, like a sock and place it in her mouth. Now!" Polnareff nodded, complying. "Mr. Joestar, gently roll her onto her side." Joseph and Avdol did so, Jotaro looking over at his red headed friend as he attempted to speak as calmly as possible.

After a few moments, Polnareff shook his head. "It's not getting any better!"

"I took a class on emergency medical situations, this is what you're supposed to do if someone is seizing." Kakyoin said.

"She's a vampire, you imbecile! She can't have a medical condition like humans have!" Polnareff shouted.

"Then... she can't be pregnant, Jean." Kakyoin replied quietly. "That… is a human medical condition."

Polnareff stared at Kakyoin for several seconds before glancing down, noticing Anne's convulsions were ceasing. "Thank God… Anne, are you alright?" He took the sock out of her mouth, moving hair out of her face. "Anne."

"Give her a moment, Polnareff." Joseph said, feeling uneasy about all of this. Blood had pooled beneath the sheets, staining them red.

Avdol narrowed his eyes then. "Something is wrong." He stood, going around to kneel beside Polnareff, observing her face. When he saw small crackles beginning to form, he drew back a bit. "She's decaying."

"What?!" Polnareff shouted, shoving Avdol out of the way. "No no no no no, Anne, Anne!"

As Joseph looked on in confusion, Avdol having to struggle to drag Polnareff away from her, every sound became blurred to Kakyoin. All he could hear was his own heart pounding in his chest, shakily turning to stumble out of the room. His hand was clamped over his mouth, his knees threatening to cave.

"Avdol." Joseph said, his own voice shaking as he felt a great sense of confusion and shock. "Let him stay the night with her. In the morning… we will move on." The moment Avdol released him, Polnareff stumbled over in a sobbing mess, holding Anne close to him as small, barely noticeable cracks appeared in her skin. "Jotaro." Joseph then spoke, his grandson glancing over at him.

Despite his demeanor, this had disturbed him.

"What in the hell just happened?" He asked.

"I don't know. Let them be." Joseph said, ushering Jotaro out of the room without another word. He had endured much tragedy in his years- but despite this, he had to fight to keep his own tears from spilling down his face.

He felt as if he had just lost a daughter.

* * *

 **Well, as Jotaro asked- what just happened here? Is Anne truly dead? What caused this to happen, and how will the group be able to cope and continue on their journey to encounter Dio? I assure you, the next chapter will keep you all on your seats, so stay tuned! Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think in a review! See you next time!**


	26. Uncovering Danger

**Good evening, everyone! I am back with an update, which will cover an OC enemy! Are you ready for a dose of horror? Brace yourselves, and please enjoy!**

* * *

Some time passed, the hour just past midnight. Polnareff felt numb, holding Anne to him as she lay still. He refused to believe that she was gone, knowing that somehow, there was some other explanation to what was happening to her.

Unfortunately, he was right.

Just then, Polnareff shot up when he felt her stir, gasping as he took her face in his hands. He choked out a laugh as by some miracle, she was returning. "Anne. Anne!" He pat her face, which was smoothening as the crackles began to disappear. Once they did, she slowly opened her eyes, which reflected in the moonlight.

"Jean." She spoke.

"My God, Anne, you're alive! Well, sort of… but you- I thought I had lost you…! Anne, I must tell the others. Are you alright? Are you in pain?" Polnareff paused then, glancing over at her stomach. "Did-… do you think… could it have caused this?"

"Yes." She replied. "Yes… it's inside of me." She spoke quietly, taking his hand to place on her stomach. His breath hitched when he felt movement, his eyes widening. "Jean… I need to tell you something."

"Anything, Anne." Polnareff said, his eyes moist with tears as he stared at her.

"Come closer, Jean." As she said this, he leaned down a bit. "Closer." She spoke quieter, barely above a whisper now. "Closer…" Polnareff's anticipation grew with every moment, growing antsy as his ear was practically right up against her lips. "… It will soon be inside all of us." Before he could question what she had meant by that, Anne grabbed him with a sudden force, her eyes glazing over with whiteness as she bit into his neck. His cry was cut off when her hand clamped over his mouth. This lasted for several seconds before she drew back, turning Polnareff to hold against her chest as he struggled to no avail to break away from her. "Hush… the pain will be gone soon. You will never feel it again." She said quietly as Polnareff's eyes, large, confused, and terrified, darted in desperation.

Kakyoin's hands trembled, a teardrop staining the paper in his hand as he stared upon it forlornly. It was one of several sketches he had done of Anne, his teeth clenched as he fought to cope with the reality that somehow, she had passed from this Earth. It had been so sudden, without warning, without any means to stop it. His somber thoughts were broken when there was a soft knock on his door, glancing back as he inhaled shakily. He shoved the sketch into the bedside table drawer, getting to his feet. He slowly made his way over to the door, opening it up a crack.

"Noriaki." To Kakyoin's surprise, Polnareff stood on the other side of the door.

"Jean… what- what are you-"

"You need to see something. It's Anne."

He shook his head in confusion. "Polnareff… I don't understand-"

"We cannot waste time. This must be done." He said. "Stay quiet."

Flabbergasted when Polnareff turned without another word, Kakyoin shook his head, nearly stumbling as he followed him down the hall. When he reached their room, he stopped, inhaling sharply upon seeing Anne still lying motionlessly, the moonlight illuminating her form. He glanced at Polnareff unsurely for a moment before cautiously proceeding forward, kneeling at her bedside. "What do you need to show me, Jean?" He asked.

At this, Polnareff quietly closed the door, stepping back so the gaping bite wound nestled between his neck and shoulder was obscured in shadow. "You will know."

Having no idea what this meant, Kakyoin wondered if Polnareff's emotional state was the reason behind his vague responses. He bit his lip, turning back to look at Anne. As he did, Polnareff tilted his head slowly, his eyes rolling up as he smiled eerily.

Jotaro sighed, shaking his head as he attempted to no avail to go to sleep. Despite their quarrels, he was upset by Anne's death deep down. He didn't wish for this, and she was also a powerful ally for them against Dio's forces. He could see that it had impacted the entire group, wondering to himself how Polnareff was going to take this. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a sudden thud from outside his room. He glanced over, furrowing a brow. After a few moments, he got to his feet, peering out the door. He saw nothing, deciding anyhow to venture into the hallway. When he heard a door slam suddenly, shattering the heavy silence, he whirled around as he witnessed Kakyoin fumbling to lock the door.

"JOTARO!" Kakyoin shouted, prompting the other teen to speedily walk towards him.

"Kakyoin? What the hell are you screaming about-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kakyoin grabbed his arm, dragging him down the hall. He pounded on Joseph's door, forcing his way inside upon it opening. "We have to get Avdol! We're all in danger!" His voice cracked.

Right on cue, Avdol appeared in the doorway. "What is going on?"

"Get inside, shut the door!" Kakyoin shouted. Down the hall, the sound of a door breaking prompted Kakyoin to grab the clueless man, shoving him inside before closing and locking the door. He breathed heavily, a few moments passing from the stressful ordeal.

"Kakyoin, what is the meaning of this?" Joseph asked.

"Mr. Joestar… s- something's wrong with Anne and Polnareff." He said shakily.

"Kakyoin… Anne is dead." Jotaro said bluntly.

"Sh- She was, but n- not now. Something's wrong with her, a- and Polnareff… something got to them."

"Wait a moment. He's bleeding!" Avdol then exclaimed. Joseph noticed the gaping wound then also, going into his first aid kit to grab supplies.

"Hey. Noriaki." Jotaro said. The last time he saw that his friend was shaken up, Anne had assured him at the end of the ordeal that it had been warranted. "What happened in there?"

"J- Jean… came to me and said something about Anne… so I went… all of a sudden, she… she woke up. I tried to leave the room to tell the rest of you… but Polnareff blocked the way. She flew out of bed and bit me. I had to use Hierophant Green to get out of there. Their eyes… i- it's like they're… possessed."

Joseph narrowed his eyes then. "Kakyoin… did you notice any unusual physical marks? Could it be one of Dio's fleshbuds?"

"No. No, I'm sure this is different." Kakyoin shook his head, still trembling as Avdol cleaned his wound.

"Joseph… perhaps you should consult a certain… source… to give us some insight on this." Avdol said, nodding to the television.

The older man inhaled slowly before nodding. "Very well. I'm sure it can't hurt." He said before going over to the television, kneeling before it and summoning Hermit Purple. Moments later, the screen illuminated, his brows furrowing upon seeing what looked to be the inside of someone's body.

"Old man… what are we seeing here?" Jotaro asked, confused himself.

"It's someone's internal organs… something is different about them…" Kakyoin said from where he was sitting. He then inhaled sharply. "Wait a second… Mr. Joestar, look!" He pointed at the television. "The heart is beating, but the lungs are not responding at all! That means…" Kakyoin had sudden flashbacks: hugging Anne close to him, watching over her as she reclined, drawing her form as the pencil glided across the paper. When he looked up at the screen next, he thought his own lungs had atrophied. "It's Anne."

"What the hell is that?" Jotaro grimaced as something slithered onto the screen, a foreign organism of some kind nestled within Anne's body.

"Holy shit!" Joseph exclaimed. "Is it a stand?!"

"Wait a moment. It's emitting some kind of energy. Look!" Avdol pointed to the screen. Without warning, Avdol whirled around when Kakyoin fell over off the edge of bed, beginning to convulse on the floor. "Kakyoin!"

Jotaro growled as he quickly headed over. As he knelt down, he narrowed his eyes when he noticed that the bite mark from Anne began to glow like the organism on the screen. "Hey." He motioned this to Joseph. "I think we know the problem now." Suddenly, a heavy thud pounded against the door to their room, all but Kakyoin snapping their heads up to look towards it. "That's got to be Polnareff."

When a hole was broken in the door, Polnareff slowly looked up, his expression blank as he smiled.

"Here's Jean…" He said monotonously.

"Magician's Red!" Avdol cried out.

"Wait, Avdol!" Joseph exclaimed. "We can't kill them!"

"Mr. Joestar, if we don't, we will end up in the same position!" Avdol replied.

"Wait a second. They aren't using their stands. They can't summon them." Jotaro said, the other two nodding as they realized this was the case. Just then, however, Kakyoin slowly sat up, his expression blank as he glanced over at them.

"Why do you choose such a difficult manner of existing? Let us make it easier for you." He said monotonously. "You can rest in peaceful sleep- feel no pain, no heartache, no disappointment. Is that not the dream all strive for?" As he said this, his eyes slowly rolled up into his head, revealing the whites of them.

* * *

 **Stand User Name: Judas Priest**

 **Stand Name: Painkiller**

 **Abilities: Takes the form of a worm-like organism. Once it enters a host body, it takes complete control of their brain and body functioning. It has the ability to spread its influence to other people by bodily fluids of the host without actually being present in those it afflicts, functioning like a hive mind. Only by extracting it from its host can its connection, and control of others it afflicts, be broken.**

 **Destructive Power: B**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: E**

 **Precision: A**

 **Development: A**

 **Location: Egypt, post Priestess**

* * *

"Alright. I've had enough of this bullshit." Jotaro said as he reared his fist back, punching Kakyoin and easily knocking him out cold. "Hey, dumb and dumber. You better start knocking your heads together and figure out how we're going to get rid of this thing." He said as Polnareff continued to pry chunks of the door away.

"We have to get it out of Anne, but with Polnareff and Kakyoin under its influence, we can't have their stands shrink into her body and fight it!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Mr. Joestar, we may have to consider drastic measures." Avdol said.

"Avdol, this is half our team we're talking about!" Joseph exclaimed.

Having enough, Jotaro stormed over to the door as Polnareff was about to break through it, knocking him out cold as well. "You two talk too much." He said, rolling his wrist a bit as he narrowed his eyes, nudging the hacked door open. "Where is she…?" He asked aloud.

"We have to find her." Joseph said as he got to his feet. "Let these two be for now. We have to hope that if we somehow destroy this stand, we can restore all three of them." He said.

"Hope is not something we can afford to go on." Avdol said as the trio headed into the corridor, going down to Anne's room to see she was not there. "She may be trying to take over more people. We have to stop her quickly."

"She can't be far. The goal is to take us all down." Jotaro added.

The three traversed through the corridor, looking into any unlocked door they managed to find as the moonlight illuminated their way with an eerie glow. As they did, they failed to see a pair of glowing eyes, like reflective cataracts, above them as something silently crawled behind them along the ceiling. Jotaro eventually stopped, the other two stopping as well.

"What is it, Jotaro?" Joseph asked.

He was silent for several moments, the pair of eyes slowly nearing them from behind. "There's something up ahead. Go look, old man."

"Jotaro, you and I should inspect the possible danger if-" Avdol was cut off when Jotaro nudged him to get his attention, shaking his head slowly as his eyes flickered over his shoulder for a moment. Picking up the hint after a moment, Avdol slowly nodded. "Mr. Joestar… allow me to go with you. It could be dangerous."

The moment the pair of men moved ahead of Jotaro, he whirled around, and chaos ensued as he summoned Star Platinum. Anne pounced down, hissing as the stand shot forward, grabbing her as she snapped, her teeth bared. It could barely restrain her, Joseph and Avdol rushing to Jotaro's side.

"She can't summon Sekhmet, but it's having a hard time keeping hold of her. Someone better know what they're doing." Jotaro said. Joseph furrowed his brows together in deep thought, inhaling slowly as he came to a conclusion. "I don't know for sure, but I know something that may work. It's very risky."

"Good enough." Jotaro said as Star Platinum slammed Anne down, pinning her onto the ground as she thrashed and hissed. Joseph quickly headed over, sticking his tongue out in concentration. Small sparks began to dance along his hands- however, they were quickly cut off when Polnareff and Kakyoin suddenly appeared, making their way down the corridor.

"Mr. Joestar, we have to hold them off!" Avdol exclaimed.

"I can't, Avdol, I have to use my hamon to shock the creature inside Anne!" Joseph replied.

"Old man. I can hold them off, but you're going to need a lot to keep Anne down. If you can't handle that, we're fucked." Jotaro said, glancing over his shoulder. "I need an answer."

"I will help you, Mr. Joestar. Jotaro, hurry!" Avdol exclaimed.

The two moved in unison, Jotaro to whirl Kakyoin around to restrain him, Star Platinum grabbing Polnareff to lift him off the ground, pinning him against the wall. Avdol summoned Magician's Red, the stand pinning down Anne's shoulders while Avdol pinned her right arm. Joseph knelt at her other side, inhaling sharply as he focused on summoning his hamon once again. He was certainly rusty with it, not as effectively practiced with it as he had been in his younger days. Just as his hands began to spark, Anne growled, her left arm whipping across her body to grab the collar of Avdol's shirt. She yanked him down in one quick movement, her teeth sinking into his shoulder.

"Oh, shit!" Joseph exclaimed, grabbing Anne and prying her away from Avdol. As she thrashed, his fingertips grazed along the wound, coming back up with blood on them.

"Mr. Joestar, there is not much time." Avdol said quietly, looking up as Magician's Red began to weaken, fading in and out of sight. "You have to do this quickly, or we are done for."

Joseph's brows twisted, looking down as Anne hissed and snapped at him. His lips tightened, shaking his head.

He wasn't going to lose his daughter, and damn it, he wasn't going to lose her, either.

However, he knew he had only one shot, one chance.

If he did not hit the creature directly, he would destroy Anne along with it, being she was a vampire.

He focused his breathing as Avdol began to nod in and out of free consciousness. His hands began to spark with increasing light, beads of sweat dripping down the sides of his face. He could hear the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest, the sound of everything else beginning to fade. He waited to sense the creature's aura, homing in on it. It moved quickly, trying to avoid detection and being targeted.

However, Joseph had defeated much worse in the past. As Avdol began to let up on Anne, Magician's Red disappearing from view, Joseph unleashed his hamon.

Anne threw her head back, a nearly demonic shriek drawn from her lips as she convulsed. Joseph clenched his teeth as he focused his attack, the glow of amber light filling the corridor before it was quickly extinguished. Anne's convulsions slowly ceased, Jotaro turning as Kakyoin and Polnareff fell limp, passing out. Avdol swayed a bit, fighting to stay conscious. Joseph turned his attention back to Anne, furrowing his brows as her eyelids flickered lightly.

"Anne? Anne, are you alright?" He shook her lightly. Suddenly, she gasped for air as she lurched forward, looking around frantically. "Anne, it's alright!" Joseph caught her attention, alertness returning to her.

"What the bloody hell just happened…?!" Her voice cracked.

"Joseph…" Avdol said, holding his wounded shoulder. "We must make sure the creature cannot take effect again."

"What is he talking about? What creature? Were we attacked by a stand?" Anne asked.

"Yes." Joseph replied. "Somehow, a hostile organism we believe to be a stand made its way inside of you, and it-"

"Where is it now?" Anne cut him off. When he did not answer quickly enough, her eyes became slightly crazed, hissing as she took her hand, puncturing her own stomach. Joseph reeled back as she winced, her teeth clenched. After a few moments, she began to draw out her now bloodied hand, tossing the unmoving, charred organism onto the floor. It appeared to be a worm-like creature, Jotaro approaching as they stared at it in silence. "I want an explanation of how this came to pass… right now."

"This may be the reason you were reacting badly earlier, Ms. Lennox." Avdol said. "What was the last thing you did before this occurred?"

Anne was silent for a moment. "The hospital." She said finally. "Something happened there. I was attacked in the coma unit."

The men glanced at one another. "We will inspect the area in the morning once we all recover." He said as he noticed that Anne's stomach was now completely healed.

"Jean… Noriaki, are they alright?" Anne asked.

"I'm sure they will be, but when you bit them, they fell under a hive-mind influence. Avdol nearly succumbed to it as well." Joseph answered.

She nodded slowly. "When I get my hands on Dio… I'm going to rip his bloody head off with them." She said as she slowly stood to her feet, shuffling down the hallway as Jotaro watched her.

"Well, I have to say this." He turned to the other two. "She's got guts."

* * *

The following morning, the group took some time to recover, quickly leaving the hotel. They arrived at the hospital, going into the coma unit. They approached the end bed where horrified nurses stood by. Anne approached the bed, one nurse taking her arm to stop her, speaking Arabic as she shook her head. Anne assured her it was alright, lifting the blanket to see that the man lying in the bed was completely charred, as if he had been electrocuted to a crisp.

"He won't be waking up again, to be sure." She spat, throwing the blanket back onto his corpse. "I've seen enough. Let's get out of here." She said, joining the rest of the group as they left the hospital.

Later on, Anne rose a brow, glancing to the side while Jean draped a lazy arm around her shoulders. They, Kakyoin and Jotaro sat in the latest buggy Joseph had managed to acquire. "Hey." He glanced over at her. "They're probably looking for directions or something."

"Highly doubtful, Jean. They've been on the phone for quite some time." Soon after she said this, Joseph was seen hanging up the phone, he and Avdol making their way back over to the vehicle.

"Sorry that took so long- I had to explain to some close connections why we're running a bit behind schedule." He said.

"Close connections?" Anne inquired.

"Yes. We're going to be meeting up with a guest today who is going to provide a great deal of help to our mission." Joseph said. At this, Anne, Polnareff and Kakyoin each exchanged a puzzled look. As Joseph started up the car, Anne drew up her hood and placed down her mask as they moved out of the shade. "Now, there's a few things I have to warn you all about him before we reach his location." He began. "It took a lot of effort for him to get here."

"As it did for us. Anything else worth noting?" Anne asked.

"He has a bit of an attitude problem, but his stand is extremely powerful. It will be needed if we're going to have a good chance of making it through Egypt, let alone face Dio." Joseph answered.

"If he knows what's good for him, he will keep his attitude in check in my presence." Anne replied.

"That may be easier said than done, Ms. Lennox." Avdol added.

They soon stopped in the middle of an isolated area of desert, the group getting out of the car as a small aircraft approached.

"Now remember, you have to be careful around him." Joseph said. "His stand is represented by the Fool arcana."

"He would be a fool to trifle with us at this rate." Anne said through her mask.

"Sounds like a pretty stupid card to me." Jean scoffed.

"You should be grateful he's on our side." Avdol said as he glanced over his shoulder at the Frenchman. "None of us here could defeat him."

"What? Are you serious?" Polnareff scoffed. "Like some 'fool' could defeat us!"

"Jean. They're landing." Kakyoin said as he made his way forth, a helicopter touching down moments later. The door to the cockpit opened, a pair of men glancing over and nodding.

"The Speedwagon Foundation?" Anne asked.

"That's correct. Quite observant, Ms. Lennox." Avdol said.

Joseph approached one of the men as they approached, shaking his hand. "Thank you for bringing him here. Must have been a difficult journey."

"So, spare me the suspense. Who's the stand user?" Jotaro asked as he took a step forward.

"It's neither of us." The man answered. "He's in the back." He said as the other opened the door to the back seat, revealing the stand user huddled under a blanket.

Polnareff snickered then. "This is what the big deal is? What is he, short or something? Come now, stop fooling around and come out of there!"

"Polnareff, you need to step away now, don't provoke him!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Jean, I'm bewildered myself, but perhaps you should listen to Joseph." Anne said.

"Oh, what's the big deal? What is he, going to bite? We already have Anne, and she's not nearly as terrible as-" Suddenly, something leapt from under the blanket, Anne blinking as a small Boston Terrier lunged at Polnareff's face. He reeled back in surprise, the canine growling and snarling viciously.

"A dog?!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

Jotaro groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. Don't tell me this is-"

"Yes. This dog possesses the Fool stand. His name is Iggy. If you rub him the wrong way, he will rip your hair right out of your head!" Joseph answered.

Anne did a few double takes, not sure if he was serious at first. When she determined that he was, she couldn't help but hold a gloved hand to her mask, chuckling lightly.

"Sacre bleu! Fils de pute, Anne, help me!" Polnareff shouted as Iggy tore at his hair.

"Well, this certainly was the last thing I would have expected, but Joseph did warn us. Now I think I've seen everything, and I've been around longer than all of you." She said.

"Avdol found him in New York when none of the dog catchers could catch him. We're not sure where exactly he's from, but it's thanks to him he isn't wandering the streets." Joseph said. "Oh, hm… I should probably mention that he-"

"UGH! This mangy thing just farted in my face!" Polnareff exclaimed.

"He tends to do that. A disgusting habit." Joseph added.

"Alright, get off of me!" Polnareff said, shoving the dog off him before falling back, laying splayed out on the ground. As he did, Anne approached him.

"Having second thoughts about getting a poodle together after all this, Jean?" She chuckled.

"Please tell me you brought his favorite snack." Avdol asked one of the pilots.

"Of course. We wouldn't have made it here if we didn't." He replied, handing Avdol some coffee flavored gum. The moment this happened, Iggy stopped, perking up and wagging his tail.

"Iggy will do anything to savor even a morsel of this." Avdol said, glancing over at Anne.

"Upon my word… this just gets more and more interesting." She replied as the small canine began to sprint towards them. "Mind if I…?"

"I had no idea you were a dog person, Ms. Lennox." Avdol said, handing her the gum.

"I suppose it's never too late." She said as she undid the wrapper, bending down.

"M'am, be careful!" One of the pilots exclaimed. Iggy pounced through the air, grabbing hold of the gum and gnawing at it.

"Damn little menace, he ruined my perfect hair!" Polnareff shouted as he frantically tried to fix his hairdo. As he continued to curse and swear in French, Anne crouched down when Iggy finished the piece of gum, growling lowly at her.

"Now, now. If you're a good boy, I'll give you another." She said, lifting her mask enough for him to see her face. The Boston Terrier blinked, his ears perked up before his tail stood straight up. He smiled widely, panting as he wagged his tail. "That will do." She said, undoing the wrapper and giving him another piece. "We'll save some for later, hm?" She said as Iggy chewed on the new piece, the others blinking in shock. Iggy hopped up into Anne's arms, her gloved hands petting him as Iggy enjoyed his gum more calmly. When she stood up straight, she noticed their disbelieving expressions. "And here they say dogs are a man's best friend. Now then, shall we proceed?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED | \/**

* * *

 **And here we end this on a lighter and familiar note! So, what did you think of this chapter's horrific stand? Will Anne be able to tame Iggy's temper? Stay tuned for the next update! Please leave a review with your thoughts, and thank you for reading! See you next time!**


End file.
